BRADFORD, Pa. — An online petition launched Friday is calling for the reinstatement of two Bradford Area High School wrestling coaches, and one is alleging they were suspended for student conduct that went unpunished when it happened during previous football seasons.

For their part, Bradford Area School District officials are staying quiet. Superintendent Katy Pude said Friday that district officials investigated an alleged incident in the locker room at DuBois prior to a match, when a senior “choked out” a freshman.

“We take all allegations seriously and investigate thoroughly prior to decisions being made,” Pude said. “As I have stated previously, I am unable to comment on personnel matters.”

Shane Oschman, president of the Bradford Area School Board, said, “I’m really not privy to what has happened. This has been held close to the vest because there may be expulsion hearings” in which the school board acts as the jury.

The petition, launched on Change.org by Jessica Havers, the wife of suspended coach Mark Havers Jr., shot to more than 380 signatures in just a few hours Friday afternoon.

“Due to recent events involving two students on the Bradford wrestling team, two coaches were suspended indefinitely from the program,” the petition read. “The event that occurred with the students had nothing to do with the coaches at all and many believe they are being wrongfully suspended.”

It went on to say the two coaches have made a positive impact on the program and shouldn’t be disciplined for the actions of students.

Havers, who is not employed by the district, said he and his father were both in a different part of the locker room when it happened, and didn’t witness it. The students said the younger student never lost consciousness.

He admonished the wrestlers to “quit the horseplay” and then they went on with the meet.

“I was going to reprimand the team as a whole the following practice, but by then, administration had gotten ahold of it and it was blown way out of proportion,” Havers told The Era.

It was his understanding that the parents of the senior thought their son might be expelled for his actions, “so they tried to lessen it. They’re saying, ‘Oh, my son got choked out’ and this and that, which was them just trying to make it seem like it wasn’t a big deal,” Havers alleged.

“In no way, shape or form have I ever condoned anyone being choked out, and no kid has ever reported to me that they were choked out except for that one time this year.”

He shared allegations of previous incidents relayed to him by students, including kids put in garbage cans, one student choking another in a classroom and a student throwing a football repeatedly against the back of another’s helmet.

Havers said the district is claiming the problem is coming from the wrestling team, but in his view, these allegations show that “obviously it’s a school problem.”

The other suspended coach, Jamie Miller, who is a custodian at Floyd C. Fretz Middle School, said he was pleased to see so many people supported the coaches with the petition.

“As far as the situation leading up to (the suspension), I really don’t want to continue to relive it,” Miller said. “It’s been an ongoing thing for me, non-stop for the last couple weeks, and I just want to get past it.”

He explained he was not in the room when the incident happened and was not informed until the following afternoon.

During the school’s investigation, each member of the wrestling team and both coaches were questioned. Both Miller and Havers said this type of horseplay has happened outside of the school, and Miller said after the incident, he talked to the wrestlers about it being dangerous.

The two are hoping it’s possible to be reinstated before the end of the season, with Miller saying he thinks the postseason would be a good one.

“We’ve got several prospects to get out of the district tournament, and I think there’s a good chance of multiple kids making the state tournament,” he said. “Obviously, I’d like to (be reinstated), but I don’t know if it’s going to happen.”

Both men acknowledged their appreciation for the public support of the wrestling program.

“If you go on that petition, you see all the people. From the time I was a little kid, I’ve bled red and black,” Havers said. “I only do this because I love the sport and I love the kids. I’m not trying to be made out to be a monster here when I’ve done nothing but good for these kids.”

The interim coach is Stefan Chaussard, who had previously served as an assistant to Pitt-Bradford wrestling team.