(For RealProWrestlingFans members: Corey Jantzen is the younger brother of Jesse Jantzen, who competed in Season 1 of RPW.)
Shoreham-Wading River’s defending state Div. I champ ruled out by NYSPHSAA
BY GREGG SARRA
Newsday Staff Writer
Shoreham-Wading River’s Corey Jantzen, the defending state wrestling Division I champion at 125 pounds, has been declared ineligible to participate for the rest of his senior season by the state Public High Schools Athletic Association.
Jantzen, who competed as an independent, was disqualified from further high school competition after he violated state rules by his participation against collegiate wrestlers at the Midlands Tournament in Evansville, Ill. last week.
“We have a rule in the state handbook that is very clear and states student-athletes cannot compete against college athletes, “said Ed Cinelli, the executive director of Section XI, Suffolk’s governing body. “We don’t give a waiver of a rule of this nature. I was never given any indication that he was competing in a collegiate tournament.”
Jantzen, who has already accepted his admissions letter to attend Harvard, became only the fourth high school wrestler, and the first from New York, to compete in the Midlands Tournament. He finished seventh in the competition.
“We have a letter from my athletic director that states that Corey’s participation in the Midlands will not affect his eligibility in high school, “said his father and Shoreham-Wading River coach Don Jantzen. “We made every attempt to address this issue prior to Corey’s participation in the Midlands and we thought the issue was addressed and resolved. We started the process one month prior to the tournament to make sure everything was done appropriately.”
Cinelli, who contacted NYSPHSAA executive director Nina Van Erk on Tuesday, questioned Jantzen’s participation against collegiate wrestlers and was told that the Shoreham-Wading River wrestler was ineligible. Cinelli then called Shoreham-Wading River athletic director Jim Cranmer to tell him that Jantzen was ineligible. Jantzen was forced to miss last night’s Suffolk League VI dual meet against Mount Sinai.
“We could have a high school athlete go to a track meet at the Armory in Manhattan and there are college competitors there, “Cinelli said. “But there is a difference in that the high school kids can only compete against the high school kids and the college competitors only compete against each other.”
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