LAKEWOOD, Ohio — As questions swirl around the Bishop Sycamore football program’s legitimacy, multiple high schools have dropped the Columbus-based team from their schedule.

What You Need To Know

  • Citing concerns, several high schools have backed out of playing Bishop Sycamore

  • Bishop Sycamore was blown out on national TV against IMG Academy on Sunday

  • ESPN said the school told them it had a number of Division I collegiate prospects, a claim ESPN could not verify

  • Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine ordered an investigation as questions surround the school’s legitimacy

The latest school to axe Bishop Sycamore from its schedule is Cleveland-area power St. Edward, which last won a state title in 2018. St. Edward had Bishop Sycamore on its schedule for Sept. 25, but the high school’s athletic director Kevin Hickman confirmed with Spectrum News 1 it is “actively searching for another opponent.”

St. Edward played Bishop Sycamore during the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season, easily defeating the team from Columbus 35-8 by amassing a 35-0 lead before halftime. 

Other well-established Ohio programs have taken on Bishop Sycamore in the last two years. Earlier this year, Hoban defeated Bishop Sycamore 38-0. Last season, Massillon defeated Bishop Sycamore 35-0 and St. Ignatius won its matchup against Bishop Sycamore 33-6. 

Bishop Sycamore has seen several of its opponents back out in recent days. One of those opponents, Duncanville (Texas), addressed why it needed to cancel its Sept. 10 contest. 

“Student safety is our top priority and I can’t ask our student athletes to take the field next week without knowing more about who they will be facing,” said Duncanville ISD Athletic Director Dwight Weaver. “Our school district’s core values speak to honesty, integrity, ethics and providing a safe environment for students. This situation calls into question many of those values, so we are canceling this game.”

Duncanville added that it has been unable to reach representatives from Bishop Sycamore. 

DeMatha (D.C.) and Johnson Central (Ky.) have also announced they have canceled their upcoming games against Bishop Sycamore.

Scrutiny over Bishop Sycamore arose on Sunday amid a blowout loss to Florida-based IMG Academy. ESPN broadcasters revealed during the game that they were told Bishop Sycamore had a number of Division I college prospects, which ESPN could not verify. 

As reporters from this and other news outlets have been unable to verify the legitimacy of the high school, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called on the Ohio Department of Education to investigate Bishop Sycamore. 

“Like I think every other Ohioan who heard the news or anybody – I was not watching it, but anybody who saw it on ESPN –  what in the world is going on?” DeWine said on Wednesday. “And so what I hope comes out of the investigation is the truth. There's a story here, and it doesn't sound like a very pretty story. 

“You know, we worry about these kids playing football, but we also worry about them, you know, are they getting the education they should be getting? Is this a real school? Are the kids going to class? How are they going to class? I mean, I don't know. But there's a lot of questions that have been raised, and we need answers.”

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