Middletown quarterback files injunction vs. OHSAA to remain eligible

A hearing involving the athletic eligibility of Middletown senior quarterback Kolby Morgerson will take place this week.

Morgerson’s family has filed for a preliminary injunction against the Ohio High School Athletic Association to allow Morgerson to continue playing this season after he was ruled ineligible under transfer bylaws.

A hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday, Oct. 16, in the Butler County Court of Common Pleas.

Morgerson was the Middies’ starting quarterback for the first five games of this season. He enrolled at Middletown in March after spending his first three seasons at Carlisle High School in Carlisle, Ohio, which is adjacent to Middletown to the north.

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Under OHSAA bylaws, transfer students who play football are only permitted to play the first five games unless they meet one of the allowable exceptions that permit them to play the entire season, including playoffs.

Morgerson’s family filed for an exception with the OHSAA, claiming they made a bona fide change of address, which the association denied. According to court documents, his mother, Bailey, took Kolby from Carlisle to a smaller residence in Franklin, in Middletown’s district, because of a job change that caused financial hardship.

The Middletown City School District investigated the residence in Franklin. According to the court documents, the administration saw evidence that cast doubt on it being a permanent move. The OHSAA also shared text messages and social media posts by Bailey Morgerson, which they viewed as evidence the transfer was “athletically motivated.”

In the filings, the school district said it would abide by whatever rulings the OHSAA and the court agreed upon.

The Morgersons’ attorney, Bradley Kraemer, did not return requests for comment.

At Carlisle, Morgerson threw for over 4,300 yards and 39 touchdowns over the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Carlisle was 10-3 in 2025 with two playoff wins, with Morgerson throwing for 2,352 yards and 24 TDs.

Middletown reached the Division I state semifinals for the first time last season, and is 5-3 this year. Morgerson threw for 659 yards and five touchdowns in his five starts.

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Morgerson has not committed to a college but according to his social media, he went to Ohio University for a recruiting visit Oct. 10.

This is one of multiple court battles between high school football players and the OHSAA this fall. Elder senior wide receiver Andrew Lyman reached a settlement agreement with the OHSAA last week, which allowed him to play additional games after initially being ruled ineligible after five games due to transfer restrictions.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Middletown quarterback files injunction vs. OHSAA to remain eligible