Local

Ohio Supreme Court clears Massillon's Feister brothers for the rest of the playoffs

Massillon • November 5, 2026 • By Press Pass USA

A high school football field under the lights at night, empty bleachers and the 50-yard line in the foreground

Photo: NEO Sports Insiders

The Ohio Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the Ohio High School Athletic Association's complaint against three 5th District Court of Appeals judges, effectively assuring that Massillon brothers Brayton and Brydon Feister can play the rest of the season — starting with Friday night's playoff opener.

Massillon (9-1) hosts Columbus St. Francis DeSales in a Division II, Region 7 quarterfinal at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. Brayton Feister, a senior linebacker and running back, is committed to play football at the University of Oregon. His younger brother Brydon, a junior defensive end, is also a two-time state wrestling champion.

The legal fight began in late September, after the family moved from Green to Massillon and the brothers transferred from Akron Archbishop Hoban. On Sept. 28, the OHSAA ruled the Feisters ineligible for the second half of the season and the playoffs, finding the move was made so the brothers could play football at Massillon. Association policy grants a residence-change exception only when the move itself creates the need to transfer — not the other way around.

The case has bounced between courts ever since. On Oct. 9, visiting Stark County Common Pleas Judge Andrew Norman sided with the OHSAA after a day-long hearing, removing the temporary order that had protected the brothers' eligibility. They sat out that night's game, a 35-21 loss to Cornerstone Christian of San Antonio, Texas — still the Tigers' only loss of the season. One week later, a three-judge panel of the 5th District Court of Appeals — William B. Hoffman, Andrew J. King and Kevin W. Popham — went the other way, signing an order on Oct. 16 that made the brothers eligible for the rest of the 2026 season. They were back on the field that night in a 49-16 rout of Warren Harding.

The OHSAA then took the unusual step of suing the appeals court judges themselves, filing a complaint in the Ohio Supreme Court on Oct. 23 asking the justices to throw out the order that put the brothers back on the field. On Thursday, the high court dismissed that complaint, leaving the appeals court's order in place.

"We are pleased that the Ohio Supreme Court recognized the importance of student athletes to continue to participate in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Canton attorney Lee Plakas, who represents the Feisters. Plakas said the family made a bona fide move to Massillon that should have qualified the brothers for full athletic eligibility all along. "There is no dispute," he said.

OHSAA attorney Joseph Fraley of Westerville acknowledged the long odds. "We knew it was a bit of a procedural longshot," he said — but added that the association is not done: "We will continue to pursue the case."

Justice Jennifer Brunner wrote a concurring opinion on the dismissal. While she agreed the 5th District had jurisdiction, she questioned why the appeals judges granted an injunction without explaining why — especially when the common pleas court's decision of ineligibility was based on evidence presented in a day-long hearing that led to a 21-page decision. "When a court of appeals reverses a trial court's judgment ... it must apply a highly deferential standard and may reverse the trial court's decision on the injunction only if the trial court abused its discretion," Brunner wrote.

For now, the ruling ends the uncertainty that has hung over Massillon's postseason. The brothers are cleared to play, the Tigers open the playoffs at home on Friday night, and the underlying eligibility case continues in the courts.

Sources: The Repository (Canton Rep), “Massillon's Brayton, Brydon Feister remain eligible for OHSAA playoffs” (Nov. 5, 2026); Q92 Radio Sports, “Feister Brothers Cleared for the Rest of the Playoffs as Ohio Supreme Court Dismisses OHSAA Complaint” (Nov. 5, 2026); Ohio High School Football Media, “Ohio Supreme Court dismisses Feister brothers case” (Nov. 5, 2026); Supreme Court of Ohio docket, Case No. 2026-1444.