GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids Catholic Central is scheduled to host Comstock Park at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, in the last unplayed district semifinal of Michigan’s high school football playoffs, though the state athletic association is still fighting in court to keep the Cougars out.
The Michigan High School Athletic Association pulled Catholic Central from the Division 5 bracket last Thursday, ruling it had used an ineligible player. The forfeits that followed took five wins from the Cougars and dropped them below the playoff-point line. The school has said the player transferred in January 2026 and that it had received an MHSAA letter clearing him.
Late Friday, a Kent County judge issued a temporary restraining order putting the team back in the field and requiring the game to be played by Tuesday night, with a show-cause hearing set for Friday, Nov. 6. A teammate of the athlete found ineligible had gone to court for it.
The MHSAA filed an emergency appeal the same day, asking the Michigan Court of Appeals to throw out the order, communications director Geoff Kimmerly said.
Catholic Central entered the playoffs 7-2 as the top seed in Division 5, while Comstock Park is 4-5. Whoever wins moves on to play Berrien Springs, a 34-28 overtime winner over Lakewood last week.
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