DIGHTON – The Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School field hockey team has canceled a game scheduled for Sept. 17 against Somerset-Berkley, citing the new game policy that allows players and/or coaches to withdraw from competition if a member of the opposite sex plays on the opposing team.
DR approved the policy on June 25, months after a Swampscott High School male field hockey player hit a ball that bounced off a stick and struck a DR female player in the face. The DR player was seriously injured and required hospitalization.
In a statement released Monday evening, DR school board member Bill Runey said the decision to forfeit was made by the teams’ coaches and captains “and we have informed our opponent accordingly.”
“The district supports this decision as there are times when we must value safety over winning,” Runey said. “We understand that this waiver will impact our chances of winning a championship and potentially making the playoffs, but we remain hopeful that other schools will consider following suit to achieve safety and promote fair competition for female athletes.”
In July, the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association said in a statement in response to a Sun Chronicle inquiry that DR’s policy “was a local decision and therefore the MIAA does not interfere in local politics.”
The DR field hockey team is scheduled to play against Somerset-Berkley on October 8 in Dighton.
DR athletic director Matt McKinnon said Monday night that he has been “working in lockstep with Superintendent Runey, the school committee and our head coach Meghan Marcotte.”
“(We) really try to put the safety of our players first. Towards the end of the summer, when the ink was still dry on the policy, we had a meeting with captains, players and parents to create a comprehensive plan on how the student-athletes and coaches wanted to move forward with this. This has been an ongoing process for several weeks,” McKinnon said, adding that DR representatives had spoken with Somerset-Berkley athletic director Joe Francis about the decision. “All parties were involved,” McKinnon said.
He said the plan is to drop the game against SB on October 8.
“I understand the impact this has on the standings and the playoffs. This is what the team and the players have decided and we will stand by it,” he said.
Marcotte, the team’s head coach, said in an email that the issue has been a concern for players, their families and coaches since the player’s injury.
“When the policy was updated, we met with the superintendent and the new AD to review the policy,” she said. “We all felt it would be best to consult with our captains, who know the pulse of the team. As a group, we made this decision. We hope it leads to change.”
The abandonment sees the team drop to 0-2-1 this season.