Cadet World Champion Jarod Verkleeren was looking forward to this season so that he could go after a Pennsylvania state title. But, that won’t be happening due to some weigh-in confusion at the PIAA Team State Tournament.

According to Verkleeren, he was told by his coaches Mike Doppelheuer and Jason Weslager that he was going to be weighing in at 152-pounds instead of his normal weight class of 145 for the final day of the team state tournament to bump up to 160. In addition, they said that weighing in at 152 would not affect his descension plan. However, that all turned out to be wrong.

“I found out [Friday that I wouldn’t be wrestling], but it started at Team States,” Verkleeren said. “The third day of weigh-ins I weighed in at 152 because my brother [Derek] got hurt and I knew I was going to be bumping up to 160. I asked my coaches specifically if it would affect my [descension] plan to get back down to 145, and they said it wouldn’t. I went and double checked with my assistant coach again before I weighed in and he said it wouldn’t so I weighed in."

After that he and his team finished third in the state, but a few days later he is hearing rumors that he wasn’t going to be able to go back down to 145. Upon hearing the news, he admits that he didn’t think much of it because he would have never thought that he wouldn’t be wrestling at 145 at states. But that is now the position he is in.

“That was my goal. I wanted to win a state title at 145 and now I won’t even have a chance to wrestle in the state tournament,” he said. 

When he heard that wrestling 145 wasn’t an option, he began to think about moving up to 152 or 160. With his brother’s fate a bit up in the air at the time the news reached him, wrestling 152 was a viable option. But then Derek was cleared to wrestle leaving only the plan of wrestling off for the spot at 160 against senior Mitch Hartman. Throughout the day, he had it set in his mind that he would be wrestling off until once again rumors began to get around. This time it was that a wrestle-off between he and Hartman would not be happening.

“I had told Mitch during the day that I would be wrestling him off and I got to practice that day still thinking that I would be wrestling him,” Verkleeren said. “The two 138-pounders and the back-up 145 wrestled off for my spot and then when that was over I told coach that I was ready to wrestle-off for the spot at 160 and he said ‘no.’ I was shocked because in our bi-laws it says that anyone can wrestle-off for any spot.”

Suddenly, he’s out of options. But he still couldn’t help but question why he couldn’t wrestle-off for the spot at 160? Then his brother Derek asked if he would be able to wrestle-off for the spot which would leave the opening for Jarod at 152 (if Derek beat Hartman), but he was met with the same answer of no. Now neither Jarod nor Derek would be able to wrestle-off. And clearly, they don’t want to wrestle each other for the spot at 152 either.

“It’s like I’ve got two kids drowning and they are asking me to save one of them,” said Jarod and Derek’s mom, Tami. “I am heartbroken.”

On top of everything else, Jarod had a meeting with his coaches and superintendent which reiterated that he would not be able to wrestle-off at 160.

“Obviously, I don’t want to wrestle off against my brother,” said Jarod. “But the only answer they could give me was that it wouldn’t be fair to Mitch. I just don’t understand.”

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— Luke Pletcher (@LukePletcher) February 20, 2016

With the deadline to register for the postseason coming on Monday, the final day to allow a wrestle-off would be tomorrow (Sunday). But it doesn’t look like that will happen since the coaches have already put up their road blocks.

“Everything has to be submitted by Monday at noon,” Jarod said. “It’s really frustrating. I wanted my chance to wrestle the #1 kid in the country, Cam Coy, for a chance to win a state title and now I can’t do that.”

For Jarod, this entire situation doesn’t just affect him now. He is a junior and will be coming back next year, but with all this he’s pretty confused about his coaches.

“It doesn’t seem real. How am I not able to wrestle this year? And I don’t know how this is going to affect me,” he said. “How am I going wrestle for these coaches next year? That’s what I’m thinking.”