Ohio high school football powerhouse banned from playoffs amid probe - USA Today
An investigation into a player's eligibility has removed Glenville, one of Ohio's premier high school football programs, from postseason play.
The Akron Beacon Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported that the Cleveland-area program's postseason ban stems from an audit of fall-sport participation that found many of the team's football players should be playing for other schools.
This is not the first time that Glenville has received this punishment for the same situation. The other time was in 2018, when the program was also fined $5,000 and placed on probation for three years.
According to the report, Ginn Academy, a non-OHSAA-member magnet school, is at the center of the investigation. The school does not offer sports, and athletes there can participate at other schools as long as they are in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and live closest to that school.
The report noted that the OHSAA is reviewing the extent of the violations and whether they extend to other schools in the area. They said there is no timetable for when the investigation will be completed or whether other penalties will be added.
The Tarblooders are 8-2 on the year and were set to enter the postseason as the No. 5 seed in Division III, Region 9. In recent years, they've been dominant, winning the Division IV state title in 2022, 2023, and last season.
Glenville was scheduled to play University School (Hunting Valley, OH), the No. 12 seed. Now, the Preppers have a Week 12 clash with Garfield Heights.
Follow Sports Reporter Joe Spears on X at @joe_spears7 or via email: JSpears@usatodayco.com. For additional high school sports coverage, be sure to follow USA TODAY High School Sports onInstagram andX.
