Grand Rapids Catholic Central removed from playoffs 1 day before game
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The courts have decided that Grand Rapids Catholic Central is out of the Michigan high school football playoffs after all.
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A Kent County judge ruled in favor of the Michigan High School Athletic Association in the case of a temporary restraining order for Grand Rapids Catholic Central football, which briefly reinstated the Cougars in the state playoffs. The decision follows a show-cause hearing for the injunction granted to a GRCC student, according to the state high school sports governing body.
The TRO briefly forced the Michigan High School Athletic Association to reinstate Grand Rapids Catholic Central into the state playoffs.
On Thursday, Oct. 29, the MHSAA announced it was removing Grand Rapids Catholic Central from the Division 5 state football playoffs for using an ineligible player. According to the MHSAA, GRCC used an ineligible player for six regular season games, forcing the Cougars to forfeit five wins. The forfeits would drop GRCC to 2-7 and leave it without the playoff points needed to qualify as a top-32 team in Division 5.
The show-cause hearing was on Friday, Nov. 6, with the court issuing its decision on Monday, Nov. 9. It came one day before Grand Rapids Catholic Central was scheduled to face Berrien Springs in the state's last district final.
Berrien Springs wins by forfeit, advancing to play Grand Rapids West Catholic in a Division 5 regional final on Saturday at 1 p.m.
“The MHSAA is thankful for the Court’s prompt decision today, confirming the integrity of the MHSAA’s eligibility rules, which all of our member schools expect to be enforced as written," the MHSAA said in a statement on Monday, Nov. 9. "As a result of the Court’s decision, there will not be a District game played on Tuesday, November 10th, and Berrien Springs High School will advance to the next round of the playoffs to face Grand Rapids West Catholic High School on Saturday, November 14 at 1 p.m.”
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In response to the MHSAA's original decision, GRCC said the student whose eligibility was in question enrolled in 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.
On Friday, Oct. 30, 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.
The MHSAA appealed the decision. But the Court of Appeals denied the appeal on Tuesday and sent the decision back to the circuit court, which had its show-cause hearing on Friday morning.
In the meantime, Grand Rapids Catholic Central played Comstock Park on Tuesday, winning the game 56-13. Since the game was played, Comstock Park is not eligible to advance despite the court's ruling to play the game. As a result, Berrien Springs is the only district final winner who did not have to play a game.
According to the MHSAA's Court of Appeals filing, the organization received new information that the athlete in question "had not, in fact, made a complete, bona fide move out of their residence in the Comstock Park school district and the Ineligible Athlete was thus participating in football at GRCC in violation of the Transfer Rule."
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Jared Ramsey covers high school sports for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Grand Rapids Catholic Central removed from playoffs 1 day before game