Greenville and PCHS to field cooperative softball team

GUILFORD — This spring Greenville High School and Piscataquis Community High School will combine for a cooperative softball team, with players from SAD 4 traveling north on Route 15 for practices and home games in which they will wear the Lakers uniform to compete in Class D South.

The establishment of a cooperative team was formally approved by the SAD 4 School Board during a March 12 meeting at Piscataquis Community Elementary School, six days before the first day of practices for softball/baseball pitchers and catchers and less than two weeks prior to the first full squad practices. If the need for such an arrangement arises, the directors also approved a cooperative baseball team between PCHS and Greenville with the Pirates being the host school.

“This is something that’s been done for a long time,” Superintendent Kelly MacFayden said about cooperative agreements. “If a student wants to play football they go to Dexter,” with these Pirates being part of the team in the neighboring school district.

She said in the past students from PCHS and Greenville were able to swim with the Foxcroft Academy team. 

In the region, currently Dexter Regional High School and Central High School have a cooperative field hockey team. This past basketball season, a Penquis Valley High School senior was able to be a part of the Foxcroft Academy girls team.

“There isn’t enough girls signed up for softball for a team, however there are girls who want to play,” MacFadyen said. She said about a half dozen have registered, less than the nine players in the field.

PCHS softball players would travel by van to practice and play in Greenville, driven by the PCHS coach who would be a part of the Laker staff this season.

Per the Maine Principals’ Association rules, if a varsity team begins the regular season and then is unable to finish, the program is ineligible to play at the varsity level for the ensuing two years.

MacFadyen mentioned Greenville Athletic Director Josh Guay said 10 boys at Greenville High School have signed up for the Laker baseball team, and he wanted to have the possibility of a cooperative team be brought before the SAD 4 board. Guay and PCHS Athletic Director Andy Shorey would still have several weeks to plan if there is a need for a joint squad between the two high schools.

“This is the wave of the future for smaller schools,” Board Vice Chairperson Brian Levensailor said.

In 2023 the PCHS softball team finished with a record of 1-13, placing 15th among 16 teams in the Class C North Heal Point standings.

A year ago the Greenville softball team was 4-11, placing eighth of 10 teams in the Class D South Heal Point standings and not earning a postseason berth.

In other business, the school board approved having no school on Monday, April 8 on account of the total solar eclipse and the anticipated heavy traffic coming into and through town for the event.

Around 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on April 8 the moon will be fully in front of the sun for a total solar eclipse, after leading up to the event starting at around 2 o’clock that day. Among the best viewing spaces in the country will be Piscataquis County and other parts of Maine to the north with thousands of visitors projected to be coming to the region for the event.

MacFadyen said April 8 will be treated like a snow day, with the district having had three previous days of classes canceled on account of the weather.

She said at next month’s school board meeting the directors may take a vote on reducing the number of days of instruction to 175, which would mean only two of the four days would need to be made up.