BATON ROUGE — A judge Monday dissolved a restraining order that had prevented the Louisiana High School Athletic Association from forcing University High School to forfeit seven games, and, almost immediately afterward, the LHSAA knocked the Cubs out of the playoffs before their first contest.

Liberty High School had filed a complaint with the LHSAA three weeks ago, alleging University High was using players from its attendance zone without proper authorization. U-High won a temporary restraining order last week and Week 1 of the playoffs occurred with the Cubs in the Division II-Select bracket and receiving a first-round bye.

Monday's decision leaves U-High with a 1-9 record. The Cubs are still shown as seeded second in the state with a game Friday at home, but the LHSAA declared a forfeit and advanced Booker T. Washington to the quarterfinals.

In a letter to the "Cub community," the school's director said it would ensure its athletics program follows LHSAA rules.

"Our priority remains creating a fair, enriching, and supportive environment for our student-athletes, built on transparency and accountability," the letter said. Director Kevin George said he would "always act in the best interests of our students, exhausting all avenues to advocate for and protect their opportunities."

It wasn't clear if his statement meant an appeal to the 1st Circuit Court of Appeal was imminent. 

The second round of the playoffs is scheduled for Friday without the Cubs.

"The LHSAA is disappointed that the violation occurred and even more disappointed that the violation affected student athletes in this state," the association said in a statement. "Nevertheless, the LHSAA is committed to enforcing its rules and carrying out the wishes of the member schools."

U-High had argued that the the LHSAA had violated its own rules by accepting a complaint within 10 days of the start of the playoffs. The association's bylaws bar late challenges in an effort to prevent schedule disruptions.

According to a timeline listed in University High's lawsuit, Liberty filed its complaint Oct. 28, or 11 days before the start of the playoffs. U-High said it wasn't notified about an investigation until Oct. 30, or nine days before the playoff's first round. 

Liberty's complaint said U-High was using players in its attendance zone without filing the proper paperwork known as a "concurrence form." U-High said it believed the students were actually in McKinley High School's attendance zone and that Liberty, a magnet school, does not have a zone depicted on the East Baton Rouge Parish School District website.

University High also said a Liberty complaint against one of the students involved was filed too late.

The U-High lawsuit initially led the LHSAA to delay announcing its high school football playoff brackets across all classifications, saying the dispute could impact each of the state's 307 football-playing schools. The association uses a "power rating" to seed teams in the playoffs, depending on results across all games in all classifications.

With the forfeits, University High was ranked 27th in Division II-Select entering the final week of the regular season, or three places outside the bracket. McKinley was ranked No. 24 in the brackets released last week. Peabody was No. 25 and out of the playoffs.

U-High and its coach were also placed on an administration probation by LHSAA for a year.