Attorneys representing Massillon Washington High School football players Brayton and Brydon Feister are celebrating a major legal victory after Ohio’s Fifth District Court of Appeals granted an emergency preliminary injunction Friday, Oct. 16, allowing the brothers to play for the remainder of the 2026 football season.
Canton-based law firm Plakas Mannos, which represents the brothers and their families, issued a statement Friday afternoon emphasizing that the decision goes beyond football and represents a victory for student-athletes and families seeking to make their own educational decisions.
“Today is not about wins or losses. Today is about celebrating the opportunity for a group of young people to have a chance to make memories, compete with their teammates, and one day look back on this high school football season as the best time of their lives with fondness and pride,” said Lee Plakas, the firm’s managing member and lead counsel in the case.
Plakas said the ruling reflects broader principles involving parental rights and family decision-making.
“We believe today’s decision respects American ideals and constitutional rights to move where you want, live where you want, play where you want, and pursue the best opportunities for your family,” he said.
The two-page judgment entry, filed Friday in the Fifth District Court of Appeals, prohibits the Ohio High School Athletic Association from preventing the brothers from participating in Massillon Washington varsity football games for the remainder of the season.
“The OHSAA is enjoined from restraining or preventing Brayton Feister and Brydon Feister from participation in any Massillon Washington high school varsity football games for the remainder of the 2026 season,” the court stated.
The injunction applies separately to each brother and remains in effect unless stayed, modified or dissolved by the appeals court or another reviewing court.
The ruling comes one week after visiting Judge Andrew Logan of Trumbull County denied the brothers’ request for a preliminary injunction in Stark County Common Pleas Court and dissolved a temporary restraining order that had previously protected their eligibility.
Logan determined that OHSAA acted within its authority when it denied the brothers’ transfer eligibility exceptions. He also found that the family had not exhausted the association’s administrative appeals process and that the brothers had failed to demonstrate irreparable harm.
Friday’s appellate decision restores court-ordered protection for the brothers while their appeal proceeds. It does not represent a final determination of whether OHSAA properly denied their transfer exceptions.
The legal dispute began Sept. 25, when six Massillon student-athletes and their families filed a lawsuit challenging OHSAA’s enforcement of transfer eligibility restrictions.
The Feister brothers previously attended Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron before transferring to Massillon.
Their family purchased a home in Massillon in April, and the brothers subsequently enrolled at Washington High School.
OHSAA denied their transfer exception requests Sept. 28, determining that the family’s relocation did not compel the school transfer, as required under the association’s rules.
Instead, OHSAA concluded that the family’s decision to transfer schools motivated the move.
Under OHSAA’s transfer rules, the brothers would ordinarily be ineligible for the second half of the regular season and postseason without an approved exception.
Attorneys representing the Feisters have challenged that interpretation, arguing that the association is imposing requirements not expressly stated in its transfer bylaws.
Following an Oct. 6 evidentiary hearing, Logan ruled against the brothers Oct. 9, prompting their attorneys to seek emergency relief from the appellate court.
According to Friday’s judgment entry, OHSAA filed its response to the emergency motion Thursday, Oct. 15.
After reviewing the motion and response, the Fifth District Court of Appeals granted the brothers’ request for an emergency preliminary injunction pending resolution of the underlying appeal.
The court also canceled an oral hearing that had been tentatively scheduled for Oct. 22, determining that an additional hearing was unnecessary.
The decision was signed by appellate Judges Kevin W. Popham, Andrew J. King and William B. Hoffman.
In its statement, Plakas Mannos expressed hope that the Massillon community would rally around the players as the football season continues.
“We hope the community can now come together to support these student-athletes and their team as they finish out their season,” Plakas said.
He also wished the players well ahead of Friday night’s game.
The firm credited attorney David L. Dingwell, who serves as counsel for the appeal, for his work on the case.
The original lawsuit also involves four other Massillon football players: Da’Shun Williams, Gary Yeager, Micah Walker and Dey’Veair Adams.
OHSAA previously approved Williams’ transfer eligibility exception. Friday’s appellate order specifically applies to Brayton and Brydon Feister and does not establish eligibility for the other players.
Plakas Mannos reiterated its commitment to all six students, saying its attorneys have worked to ensure the players can continue competing alongside their Massillon teammates.
The firm, founded in 1957, also offered a lighthearted reference to Massillon’s football tradition at the conclusion of its statement.
“We are called the Law Lions for a reason. But for today, you can call us the Law Tigers.”
While the underlying legal challenge remains unresolved, Friday’s appellate ruling allows the Feister brothers to participate in Massillon’s remaining regular-season and postseason football games unless the court’s order is changed.
