OHSAA appealing court’s Glenville decision

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

COLUMBUS — Could a judge’s own words nullify his ruling in a court case involving the playoff eligibility of a well known Cleveland high school football team? That question could be answered in an appeal.

After more than eight hours of testimony in a Cleveland courtroom – five hours on Monday and three more Tuesday morning, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Andrew J. Santoli ruled that Glenville High School should remain eligible for the football playoffs. The ruling was issued in written form late Tuesday afternoon.

A short time later, the Ohio High School Athletic Association issued a response to his order.

In the response, it was noted Santoli himself said he didn’t have the power to determine who participates in the postseason, and the response said the OHSAA agrees with the court’s conclusion within the order.

“The Court emphasizes that it is not asked, nor permitted, to determine who is entitled to play in the Playoffs,” Santoli was quoted as saying in his order. “It is beyond the scope of this Court’s authority to order that one team be entered into the Playoffs over another, or that one team advance in the Playoffs over another.”

The court order included additional findings that the OHSAA will challenge in appellate court in Cleveland Wednesday morning. More information regarding Salem’s playoff opponent this Friday will be released on Wednesday. The OHSAA has stayed in communication with Salem and appreciates the school’s cooperation and patience.

The OHSAA also has released additional information regarding the case against the Glenville football team, including:

• The lawsuit last Friday was brought by two student-athletes from Glenville. The lawsuit was not brought by Cleveland Metropolitan School District or Glenville High School. It was brought by two student-athletes.
• Since the middle of last week, Glenville and Cleveland Metro has submitted conflicting residential documentation of numerous student-athletes on the Glenville football team. 
• Of note, 63 of the 64 student-athletes on the Glenville football roster this season do not attend Glenville High School and Cleveland Metro has not successfully proven that many of those student-athletes should have been participating at Glenville.
• Cleveland Metro and Glenville have not met the participation regulations and expectations that were set in 2007 when Ginn Academy opened. Glenville was removed from the football playoffs in 2018 for violations of these and OHSAA regulations. The lack of administrative control by Cleveland Metro and Glenville will result in additional penalties and do not meet the expectations of the other 812 member schools of the OHSAA.

The OHSAA removed Glenville from the Division III Region 9 football playoffs on Thursday, October 29. A court order temporarily halted the OHSAA’s ruling pending a hearing Monday, which continued on Tuesday. The OHSAA first requested student residential information from Cleveland Metropolitan School District on September 28. The OHSAA received an initial batch of information from CMSD on October 22. On Thursday, October 29, in a meeting with Glenville, the school did not object to the findings of the OHSAA audit.

The winner between No. 5 seed Glenville and No. 12 seed University School was scheduled to play Salem High School in the regional semifinals this Friday. After getting the injuction last Friday, Glenville suggested a 12 p.m. Saturday kickoff against University School. However, University School refused to play, citing the OHSAA’s ruling that Glenville was removed from the playoffs.

In an article appearing on cleveland.com, Salem’s head football coach said his team is preparing to face University School.

Glenville was the Division I state runner-up in 2009 and the Division II runner-up in 2013. The Tarblooders were classified as a Division IV team when they won state titles in 2022, 2023 and 2025. The 2023 team defeated Van Wert 42-33 in the regional championship game at Tiffin.