Wisconsin High School Sports | Wisconsin Sports Network | WisSports.net

The undefeated Edgewood football team has been removed from the WIAA playoffs due to use of an ineligible player, according to an email sent by Crusaders Athletic Director Chris Zwettler to parents Tuesday afternoon.

Edgewood's last defeated opponent, Kewaskum, will instead be reinstated to the bracket, and the the Indians will travel to second-seeded Columbus on Saturday night for a 7 pm kickoff. Kewaskum had been set to turn in equipment today, but received a call from the WIAA that they were back in, and instead began immediate preparations to play this weekend.

Edgewood had been a perfect 11-0 after Level 2, claiming a Rock Valley Conference championship behind a high-powered offense that averaged 36 points per game, including a 40-0 victory over Kewaskum last week.

Shortly after the information was first reported by WSN's Travis Wilson, the official WIAA bracket was updated to reflect a forfeit victory by Kewaskum, as the Indians advanced in the tournament.

It is not clear the nature of the ineligibility issue at Edgewood, or the player or players involved.

Edgewood released a statement Tuesday afternoon: "Earlier today, Edgewood High School was notified by the WIAA of an alleged eligibility violation with their football team. We have filed an immediate appeal with the WIAA, and are reviewing our legal options."

This is not the first time a team or individual has been removed from the postseason. In 2007, Winnebago Lutheran qualified for the playoffs but was ruled to have used an ineligible player, and removed prior to Level 1. In 2009, Kenosha St. Joseph lost to Racine St. Catherine's in a baseball regional final before a forfeit was awarded, with St. Joe's going all the way to a state title. In 2012, Xavier was removed from the boys basketball playoffs after it was determined a player had been in violation of eligibility rules. The school sued, but was not granted an injunction.

In the 2019 individual wrestling tournament, Burlington's Hayden Halter was disqualified from a match for multiple unsportsmanlike penalties, but a Racine County judge granted an injunction that allowed him to continue wrestling all the way to a state title. Earlier this year, a different Racine County judge overruled that decision and ruled in favor of the WIAA, which stripped Halter of his title.

Stay tuned to WisSports.net in the coming days for any further developments on the status of Edgewood's football playoff eligibility.

Travis Wilson serves as the WisSports.net General Manager, Football Editor, and contributing writer for other parts of the site. Wilson was selected as part of the Sports 40 Under 40 list by Coach & AD Magazine and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association for 2019. The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) named Travis the 2015 recipient of the Dave McClain Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves on the WFCA Executive Board and is a member of the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. A graduate of Richland Center High School and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Travis was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, baseball, basketball), inducted to the Richland Center High School Hall of Fame in 2023, and currently resides in Reedsburg. You can follow him on Twitter at @travisWSN.

For the latest and most up to date football news and recruiting information, follow Travis on Twitter @travisWSN. Email story ideas, recruiting info, etc. to Travis at travis(at)wissports.net.