A court hearing has been scheduled next week as two Canfield High School wrestlers seek to reverse a decision to suspend them from athletic competition for the remainder of the 2024-2025 season following an alleged hazing incident during a team trip to Florida in June 2024.

The wrestlers, identified in a lawsuit only as T.M. and G.M., are accused of restraining another wrestler as he was being squirted with water. The incident was captured on video, according to the lawsuit filed by Dr. Kwon Miller, the father of the two suspended wrestlers.

Dr. Miller claims in his complaint that the incident was a prank and did not cause distress to the victim. The lawsuit alleges that the school district did not follow proper protocol in its investigation and suspension of the wrestlers.

School officials, however, maintain that the behavior violated the district's anti-hazing policies and the Canfield Athletic Department Student/Parent Code of Conduct. They argue that suspensions are necessary to protect students from bullying and harassment.

The lawsuit, filed in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, seeks a temporary restraining order to allow the wrestlers to compete while the case is ongoing. A hearing on the request is scheduled for Monday, January 6.

Attorneys for the school district have filed an opposition to the lawsuit, arguing that the wrestlers are unlikely to succeed on the merits of their case and that an injunction would cause harm to other students.