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Witkowski ruled eligible
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Struthers running back Luke Witkowski (27) carries against Niles during a game last season. The 19-year-old Witkowski’s legal battle with the OHSAA ended Monday in a court ruling that will allow him to play starting in Week 3.
By Curtis Pulliam
Luke Witkowski’s Hail Mary was successful.
The Struthers High School senior will suit up for the Wildcats football team this fall after his case against the Ohio High School Athletic Association was settled Monday in the courtroom of Mahoning County Common Pleas Judge R. Scott Krichbaum.
The parties involved agreed on the terms of a settlement and Krichbaum issued an order outlining several specific conditions under which Witkowski can play this season.
Witkowski cannot take part in any preseason scrimmages and will sit out the Wildcats’ first two regular-season games. Those are against Campbell Memorial and Lakeview.
He will be eligible to play against Mogadore Field on Sept. 12.
“I am happy for Luke,” Struthers football coach Curt Kuntz said. “People who knew Luke’s story would 100 percent agree with this.”
Witkowski, who turned 19 on May 13, was originally ruled ineligible by the OHSAA.
OHSAA bylaw 4-2-1 states that if a student enrolled in high school turns 19 before Aug. 1, that student is ineligible to participate in high school sports.
But there are exceptions.
Exception 2 of this rule allows the commissioner to declare the student eligible if he has repeated any grade from kindergarten through third grade for purely academic reasons and does not pose a safety risk to himself or others; does not enjoy any advantages in terms of physical, mental or athletic maturity; does not affect the principles of competitive equity; and there is no evidence of “redshirting” or academic dishonesty.
Kuntz said he believes the OHSAA was wrong all along.
“Luke met every exception under the bylaw,” Kuntz said.
Witkowski’s family emigrated from Poland when he was 6. He was held back in third grade “due to the language and assimilation challenges he faced through no fault of his own,” according to his lawyer, Courtney Trimacco.
Witkowski ran for 1,400 yards and 11 touchdowns last season as Struthers finished 9-3. He is listed on the roster as 6-feet and 175 pounds.
“In the long run, it will benefit our team,” Kuntz said. “We have four guys who are extremely capable of carrying the ball. It will help with depth and make us a better team.”
The ruling also included Witkowski being ineligible to compete in sports for Struthers during the winter and spring semesters. He ran track last spring.
Kuntz was pleased with the amount of support Witkowski received during the court case.
“I was honored by the outgrowing support by the vast majority of coaches around the area,” Kuntz said.
Witkowski was first ruled ineligible by the OHSAA on March 30 and the decision was upheld by the OHSAA’s appeals panel on June 3.
Kuntz said Witkowski and his family respectfully declined to comment.
OHSAA spokesman Tim Stried said in an email Monday night that the organization will release a statement later in the week.