South Portland High has decided to not play its Class A South football quarterfinal Friday night at Bonny Eagle because the team lacks enough players to compete safely.
South Portland had 21 players at practice Wednesday, and of that group, “anywhere from five to eight” players were considered questionable or unable to play because of injuries, said Athletic Administrator Todd Livingston.
After meeting with the team and coaches Wednesday night, then with school administrators Thursday morning, Livingston said the decision was made to skip the game.
“It is hard because there are certainly kids that are healthy and want to play,” he said. “There’s a lot of disappointment. We have seniors that wanted to play one final game, but at the end of the day … we determined based on what we have for team personnel and injuries we could not safely put kids on the field.”
Maine’s high school playoffs are invitational events. South Portland’s decision isn’t considered a forfeit by the Maine Principals’ Association.
“This isn’t the first time, for whatever reason, a school has declined their invitation,” said Mike Burnham, an MPA assistant executive director. “I think it’s important that we go on record as supporting (South Portland’s decision). These are difficult decisions to make, and they are looking at the health and well-being of their student athletes.”
If a team does not complete its regular-season schedule and there are not extenuating circumstances such as a health issue, it can be barred from postseason competition for two years under the MPA’s Non-Completion of Season rule.
South Portland completed its season with a 35-0 loss to Portland. Bonny Eagle is 5-3 and has lost three straight games. In the first week of the season, Bonny Eagle beat South Portland, 34-6.
Bonny Eagle, the third seed, will now have a week off before playing at No. 2 Scarborough in the regional semifinals.
Livingston said that on Tuesday, after consulting with the coaching and medical staffs, he was hopeful South Portland would be able to participate in the playoff game. At that time, he sent out a notice via Twitter that the playoff game was “on as scheduled.”
“We had some players that had to seek some other medical attention, other than our own staff, who were deemed unhealthy to play,” he said.
“Initially, I felt we were OK to play, then team personnel changed and the depth chart changed, and we waited until this morning just to make sure we were doing our due diligence.”
South Portland, like many schools, struggled with a small roster throughout the season. The Red Riots had 34 players in grades 10-12 listed on their opening-day roster, including four seniors. By the sixth game of the season, a 13-7 loss at Deering, South Portland had 28 players dressed on the sideline.
The high school varsity became the second South Portland football team to skip a playoff game after a tough regular season. The South Portland Youth Football program’s middle school-age team chose not to participate in the Southern Maine Youth Football League playoffs.
Steve Craig can be reached at 791-6413 or:
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