The Cardinal Ritter football team appears to have used an ineligible player Aug. 31 in its season opener at Nazareth Academy in suburban Chicago.

The No. 1 small school in the STLhighschoolsports.com rankings and top-ranked team in the Missouri Media Class 2 poll, Cardinal Ritter (7-0) could be forced to forfeit all seven of its games this season, per the Missouri State High School Activities Association by-laws, and could potentially be ruled ineligible for the postseason. The Lions are the top-ranked small school in the nation according to MaxPreps.

Junior running back Bill Jackson was suspended for Week 1 this season because he was ejected in the fourth quarter of the 2018 Class 3 state championship game. Per National Federation of State High School Associations guidelines, he was ruled ineligible for Cardinal Ritter's next game — Week 1 of the 2019 season Aug. 31 against Nazareth.

Against Nazareth, a player who appears to be Jackson wore No. 24 but was identified on the roster as freshman Marvin Burks. When Jackson was eligible to return the following week against Lutheran North, he was properly identified and wore his traditional No. 4.