St. Francis basketball player suspended after incident during Scott game
Dec. 3—St. Francis de Sales head basketball coach Jamie Kachmarik announced a suspension Thursday for a Knights player after an incident during the team's game against Scott High School on Tuesday night.
The suspension was announced in a media release issued by St. Francis. The incident occurred during the fourth quarter of Scott's 48-43 victory.
Knights senior Ethan Meyer is seen on a video clip from the game throwing a punch toward the face of Scott junior player Romel Hightower after they had fallen to the floor during a scramble for a rebound under the basket.
The punch apparently went unseen by the game officials, as no foul was called or ejection made.
"At first, no one really saw it take place," St. Francis athletic director Justin Edgell said. "Players kind of fell to the court and a player from Scott [Hightower] laid on the court with an injury. It was later brought to our attention, after watching the film, that one of our players attempted a punch in the sequence of events that took place."
After reviewing the film, a four-game suspension was issued.
Even though there may be no further disciplinary action taken by the OHSAA, Edgell believes St. Francis has sufficiently dealt with the incident.
"It was not caught by the officials or any administration at the time, but we feel that this is the appropriate response for the actions of the student-athlete," Edgell said. "He made a mistake, and we're handling it. We're going to try to coach him through this, but there are repercussions for actions, and we are responding accordingly. We feel we are handling it appropriately and swiftly.
"We have spoken to [athletic director] Wakeso Peterson at Scott, and to Rayshawn Craig, the head coach, who used to be an assistant here. Everyone is in the loop."
Peterson and Craig both declined to comment on the incident, but a statement was issued by Toledo Public Schools deputy superintendent James Gant.
"The incident that occurred Tuesday during the Scott versus St. Francis varsity basketball game is unfortunate," Gant's statement read. "We appreciate the swift and stern actions taken by the administration at St. Francis in response to this situation. While both schools hold their student athletes to the highest of standards, the competitive nature of the game is meant to teach students how to deal with difficult situations and reinforce the importance of teamwork. We hope the athletes from both teams grow as players and can put this situation behind them as they focus on the remainder of their season."
First Published December 2, 2021, 1:50pm
