The Michigan Court of Appeals has denied the Michigan High School Athletic Association's appeal in the latest legal development regarding the playoff eligibility of Grand Rapids Catholic Central football.
Court of Appeals judges Michael Riordan, Kathleen Feeney and Daniel Korobkin denied the MHSAA's attempt to overturn a temporary restraining order granted to a Grand Rapids Catholic Central student on Tuesday, Nov. 3, which ordered the state high school sports governing body to reinstate Grand Rapids Catholic Central into the state football playoffs.
Grand Rapids Catholic Central and Comstock Park are scheduled to play their Division 5 district semifinal on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at GRCC High School. The winner advances to face Berrien Springs (9-1) in the district finals this weekend.
A show-cause hearing is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 6, in the 17th Circuit Court.
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On Thursday, the MHSAA announced that Grand Rapids Catholic Central was out of the Division 5 playoffs after discovering the Cougars used an ineligible player in six regular-season games, forcing the school to forfeit five wins. That dropped GRCC's record from 7-2 to 2-7, leaving the Cougars without the requisite playoff points to qualify for the postseason.
On Friday, a Grand Rapids Catholic Central student, Noah Zainea, filed for a temporary restraining order against the MHSAA's decision, which was granted by a Kent County court. The court ordered the MHSAA to reinstate Grand Rapids Catholic Central and schedule its district semifinal game against Comstock Park by the end of Tuesday.
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In response to the MHSAA's decision, the school released a statement saying GRCC's ineligible player transferred to the school in January 2026. His family moved over the summer, and the school received a letter from the MHSAA confirming his athletic eligibility, according to Grand Rapids Catholic Central.
In mid-October, the MHSAA notified GRCC that it had received new information about the family's residence, reopening an inquiry into whether the student completed a "full and complete move" to satisfy the MHSAA's rules regarding athletic transfers. The school held the player out of its final two regular-season games.
The MHSAA challenged the injunction, but failed in its appeal. The court granted its motion for an expedited review, but denied motions to supplement the record, stay pending appeal and an application to leave for appeal "for failure to persuade the Court of the need for immediate appellate review," according to court records.
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Jared Ramsey covers high school sports for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jramsey@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Court denies MHSAA appeal in Grand Rapids Catholic Central eligibility