The Ironton Fighting Tigers enter their regular season finale at Portsmouth with an 8-1 record and a No. 3 ranking in the state. Following the game, the reigning Division V state champions will either get to work on their title defense or immediately turn the page to the 2026 season, and the it all comes down to a decision by the Ohio high school governing body, expected any minute now.
For starters, Ironton is located in the far southeast corner of the Buckeye state, a relative stone’s throw from both West Virginia and Kentucky. The Fighting Tigers have won five state championships, most recently last season — a 15-1 run in which all 15 victories came by double digits. Ironton competes in Division V, the third-smallest of OHSAA’s seven classifications.
But the Fighting Tigers’ success has always been followed by accusations of illegal recruiting, and the Ohio High School Athletic Association opened an investigation earlier this season into the eligibility of multiple players who transferred in out of state.
On Friday morning, Ironton players gathered to protest the investigation.
In response to the investigation, the parents of one of the suspended players, Kylan Grace, have sued OHSAA. Grace enrolled at Ironton in May after playing for Hurricane High School in West Virginia in 2024, but the Grace family claims they are legal residents of Ohio.
“The OHSAA should be ashamed of themselves. Kids don’t choose Ironton because someone “recruited” them, they choose Ironton because it’s a winning culture. The players and coaches have completely changed the landscape down there. They’re winners, plain and simple, and people hate that,” one Facebook commenter said.
“These kids, past, present, and future, have earned everything they’ve accomplished. Most of them move on to play college football because of that same drive and discipline. Winning attracts winners.”
The investigation into Ironton opens up fissures within Ohio high school football on multiple fronts. For one, OHSAA is in the process of amending its bylaws to allow college-like NIL payments to high school athletes. A proposal was roundly voted down by Ohio high school principals in 2022, but the organization has been forced to reexamine its policy after a judge issued a temporary restraining order on Monday, allowing OHSAA athletes to enter NIL deals. A vote is expected next month.
On another front, Ohio private schools — most prominently St. Xavier and Moeller in Cincinnati — are allowed to recruit players and offer scholarships, so long as they follow OHSAA guidelines. Bylaw 4-9-2 states:
For purposes of this Bylaw Section 9, the term “recruit” shall mean the use of influence by any person connected or not connected with the school to secure the enrollment of a prospective student-athlete for athletic purposes. The Executive Director’s Office may suspend the privilege of participation in interscholastic athletics for up to 30 days during the pendency of any alleged recruiting violation.
A decision was expected around noon ET on Friday. As of this writing, no decision has been announced, but a possible clue has emerged.
