Neither the OHSAA nor Shawnee administration would identify the player. Shawnee athletic director Craig Isaac said the student no longer is enrolled in the Clark-Shawnee Local School District.
School officials said they were alerted to a suspected falsified residency in November after the Braves’ season had ended. Administration then contacted the OHSAA and launched an internal investigation that was “made with outside sources for independent corroboration,” the school district reported in a press release.
Shawnee’s 10-2 season is now recorded as 5-7. The five teams that Shawnee beat in Weeks 1-5 all are now forfeit winners of those matchups.
Shawnee’s forfeitures and the ineligibility of the former player for the first half of the upcoming season were one of seven such bylaw violations that the OHSAA addressed in their January meeting. Only one case didn’t result in forfeitures.
Students previously found to have violated transfer or residency OHSAA bylaws were suspended for an entire school year, all sports. Since June of last year, individual penalties are an automatic first half of the coming school year should that student have remaining eligibility.
Also, the half-season suspension is only for a sport that the penalized student participated in.
Attorneys advised the OHSAA that the more lenient half-season suspension would cut down on the times the OHSAA might be challenged in court.
Commissioner Roxanne Price said the OHSAA was advised that a one-year suspension “caused irreparable harm (to a student). For us, they miss every season (for one year). … That was somewhat draconian. We think our membership can live with (a half-season penalty) a lot better. … We think it helps keep us out of court.”
Catholic Central (1-9 adjusted record), Troy (4-6), Carroll (3-7), Northwestern (7-3) and Greenon (2-8) all will be awarded 1-0 forfeit wins in their football games against Shawnee last season. None of those teams were in playoff contention.
About the Author