Court ruling effectively eliminates TFA from FHSAA playoffs

The First Academy’s football season came to an abrupt end Monday afternoon after a state judge declined to uphold an 11th-hour temporary injunction that would have allowed the Orlando private school to participate in the 2025 FHSAA state football playoffs, which begin Thursday.

According to the lead attorney for a group of TFA players’ parents, Paul Aloise Jr., the judge’s ruling essentially locked the Royals out of postseason play for the second straight year and affirmed a two-year ban issued by the Florida High School Athletic Association on Nov. 1, 2024.

“It’s done,” he said of the legal case to get TFA into the playoffs.

Judge Margaret H. Schreiber of the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court ruled Monday that the plaintiffs, a group of TFA parents and players, did not meet the legal standard required for an injunction. She agreed with the FHSAA’s argument that the original complaint should have been filed in Alachua County — where the FHSAA executive offices are located.

“I am transferring this case to Alachua County,” Scheiber said. “I am also vacating the emergency temporary injunction that was entered (last) Thursday because I believe the appropriate place to address any emergency relief is in Alachua County. I don’t believe it is necessary or appropriate to move forward with any evidentiary hearing at this time.”

Aloise said the judge’s decision to vacate the emergency injunction was the death knell for the case to get TFA into the playoffs. Although Judge Scheiber said the case could be transferred to the proper venue in Alachua County, Aloise said there would be no more legal challenges in the wake of the  FHSAA releasing its official playoff bracket — a bracket that excluded TFA — shortly after Judge Schreiber’s ruling Monday afternoon.

“The emergency injunction was to prevent irreparable harm from being done to TFA’s players who wouldn’t be allowed to compete in the playoffs,” Aloise told the Sentinel. “After the bracket was released, the irreparable harm has already happened. We are not going to be moving forward with any additional hearings on this matter in Alachua County. It’s dead. We have no more avenues to pursue.”

The judge’s decision Monday came during what was supposed to be an evidentiary hearing, but quickly turned into nearly an hourlong video conference in which FHSAA attorney Leonard Ireland successfully argued that the complaint should have been filed in Alachua County. After the judge agreed with FHSAA, the evidentiary hearing never actually took place.

TFA’s postseason fate has been uncertain since Nov. 5, when Schreiber verbally granted an emergency injunction but hesitated to sign the order after FHSAA attorneys filed motions to dismiss or move the case. The lack of a signed order forced the FHSAA to release all state brackets last Thursday except for those in Class 1A, Region 2, which were held pending Monday’s ruling.

Aloise and attorneys for the parents’ group attorneys argued that the FHSAA issued “egregious and arbitrary” punishments after determining that 10 student-athletes participated in football activities before they were enrolled at the school and that the program committed multiple recruiting violations. The Royals did not play in last year’s postseason while the case remained under review.

Aloise has said the penalties far exceeded those imposed in other cases, including those involving Miami Northwestern, Gadsden County and Nease.

The FHSAA’s Ireland rejected that argument, saying the association considered all evidence during the investigative and appeals processes and that the board unanimously upheld the sanctions. The FHSAA’s bylaws, Ireland said, clearly state that decisions of the board of directors are final.

Complicating matters, Indian Rocks Christian, the school that would have missed the playoffs if TFA was reinstated, filed a lawsuit in Orange County asking the court to uphold the FHSAA ruling to keep the IRC team in the playoff bracket.

Shortly after the court decision was made Monday, the FHSAA posted first-round playoff matchups for 1A Region 2. Indian Rocks is booked to play No. 2 seed Clearwater Central Catholic on Friday night. Orlando Christian Prep (6-4) will play at Melbourne Central Catholic (2-7) in a rematch of a regular season game won by MCC.

Although TFA finished 5-5, the Royals were considered to be one of the best teams in the state. TFA primarily played a national schedule filled with powerhouses from other states.

The case has drawn statewide attention in recent days as the unusual schedule of rulings left FHSAA administrators, coaches and competing schools unsure whether TFA would be eligible. Some coaches had expressed concern that including or excluding TFA this late could reshape the 1A playoff bracket.