Men, in my opinion, once they are weighed in and on the bracket, if they forfeit for any reason other than illness or injury, they are out of the tourney. If they are weighed in and on the bracket, it counts as a loss and the other wrestler counts as a win. I believe, unless the rules have changed since I retired, their only recourse is to walk out, shake hands, start the match, and default. That way they have the ability to continue on the bracket without disqualification from the tourney. I have been gone a while and maybe the rules have changed since then, but I believe that to be true. Someone else might have more current information that would negate what I have said, but I believe that is the case. I can't imagine the state making an exception in a regional or a state meet.
If you don't know or care to take the time to verify then please refrain from posting was is merely an opinion at this point on an issue that is very important to these wrestlers. You want to add insult to injury? These kids did NOTHING wrong. They are innocent victims of a policy that was not in practice and there was not any certainty to until very recently. Everyone says they are in wrestling "for the kids" but I see plenty of posts are here that a directly pointed towards hurting kids. So many uneducated posts have been written with no one willing to do the research. Surely everyone knows that the Wichita and Salina archdiocese permit boys to wrestle girls. This could be the tipping point for major reactions to this policy but in the mean time two of the best wrestlers in the state at this weight are being victimized by a political/religious stance by one man. Be considerate of the complexity of this issue and the innocence of these two wrestlers. And, for the record, I strongly feel it should be a gender specific sport. It is in Texas and it will never really grow in Kansas until it is. So, if you want a fight to fight, push KSHSAA to add wrestling for girls making this sport MALE only.
