FOOTBALL St. Edward must forfeit four victories

COLUMBUS (AP) -- Lakewood St. Edward, the unbeaten and No. 2-ranked big-school team in Ohio, will forfeit four victories for using an ineligible player, the Ohio High School Athletic Association announced Thursday.
St. Edward drops from 6-0 to 2-4 and will have a difficult time qualifying for the post-season playoffs.
The school will appeal the forfeiture ruling, principal Eugene Boyer said.
The OHSAA, the sanctioning body for prep sports in the state, was informed by St. Edward administrators on Sept. 27 of the possible violation of OHSAA rules. The player in question did not meet rules regarding transfers.
"St. Edward administrators are certainly to be commended for informing our office about the situation and for conduction [of] a thorough administrative review when it discovered the ineligibility," said OHSAA Commissioner Dan Ross. "Their actions were certainly honorable and I have sympathy for the players, coaches, fans and St. Edward community."
The all-boys school with an enrollment of just over 650 students will forfeit wins over Cincinnati St. Xavier, Lakewood, Akron Central-Hower and Warren Harding.
The ineligible student did not participate in wins over Maple Heights and Washington, D.C., Coolidge.
The forfeits will be reflected in the next OHSAA computer ratings on Tuesday.