DEXTER, Maine — A rivalry will be set aside this fall as Red Devil field hockey players from Central High School suit up for Dexter Regional High School’s Tigers in the first year the East Corinth school has not fielded its own team.
Central’s program lacked the numbers needed for a full squad during the first week of preseason practices.
The Dexter school board approved the field hockey cooperative agreement between the two schools during a meeting held Wednesday. The agreement has not yet come before the Corinth school board.
There are dozens of similar arrangements across the state allowing schools to combine teams rather than go alone or not offer the sport. For Dexter, students from neighboring Piscataquis Community High School in Guilford — which does not offer football — have been part of the Tiger gridiron team for a number of years.
“Our feeling is it continues to give those kids an opportunity, and there may be a time when we are in a similar situation,” Superintendent Kevin Jordan said.
Central began practices with just eight players, three fewer than are on the field in a game, Dexter Principal Steve Bell said. The number went down to six the next day, and now there are just two Central students who have indicated a willingness to travel to Dexter to be a part of the Tigers field hockey team, he said.
The principal said he was unsure if the field hockey co-op would just be for 2022.
The principal said Dexter field hockey head coach Brittany McAllister teaches health at Central, so she already knows many of the students there. Hannah Farrar, who had led the Red Devil program, teaches art at Dexter.
Board member Leilani Cyr, whose daughter plays field hockey, said some parents originally were not in favor of the co-op, but are now fine with it since only a few Central players will be on the roster.
In 2021, Dexter finished ninth in the Class C North standings with a record of 6-8 while Central was 11th at 2-12. In the lone matchup between the two, the Tigers won in Dexter 3-0. Both teams lost in the prelim play under the then open-tournament format.
In addition, Bell said Dexter will field a boys soccer team after not doing so a year ago due to low numbers. He said the 2022 roster has 16 players, part of 100-plus students who are playing on the seven fall sports teams.
The school board also gave Ridge View Principal Jessica Dyer permission to allow fifth-graders to play on middle school field hockey and boys soccer teams to bulk up those rosters, which do not have enough other players.