I think what we’re witnessing is an attempt to dismantle a very well-built program that is supported and respected across the state by generations of members of our community.”

Beth Anne Blythe, whose son is a senior captain on the PHS varsity football team

PORTSMOUTH — Simmering resentment felt by some members of the Portsmouth High football community toward the PHS athletic department came to a boil during a School Committee meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 10.

At issue was the removal of a number of volunteer coaches just days before the varsity team’s game against Bishop Hendricken on Sept. 2. The reduction by the athletic department left the list of paid and volunteer coaches at 10 for the varsity, junior varsity and freshmen teams.

For several weeks, many citizens have taken to social media to blast the athletic department’s decision, while also criticizing what they perceived as the administration’s lack of communication with parents regarding the district’s policies, especially when it came to documentation required by coaches and volunteers.

On Tuesday, Superintendent Thomas Kenworthy presented an updated and final list of 13 coaches and assistants:

• Head coach: Keith MacDonald

• Paid assistants: Joseph McGraw, Joseph Lang, Ryan MacDonald, Carmine Prestipino, and Alex Pister

• Volunteer assistants: Kyle MacDonald, Chelsea Bailey, Tyree Bockman, Chris Dugan, Michael Faria, Bruce Massarotti, and Steve Sebolt

The list was drawn up, Kenworthy said, after he sat down with Keith MacDonald, PHS Principal Jeffrey Heath, and Athletic Director Keith Cory. 

“This was the coaching list that Coach MacDonald wanted and we endorsed after meeting with him,” said Kenworthy, adding that other individuals who wanted to help out in any “non-coaching capacity” were also identified.

Parents speak

That didn’t stop many residents from sharing their blunt criticism of the athletic department and PHS administration during a public comment period as well as an agenda item about a meeting between PHS football parents and Kenworthy and Heath that the superintendent scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 12.

The most vocal critic was Beth Anne Blythe of Randall Lane, who said her son is a senior captain on the varsity team. 

“He came home from practice two days before the team’s most difficult game of the season (against Hendricken) with uncertainty and anxiety,” Blythe said during public comment, in which committee members aren’t allowed to reply. “My sons were in my kitchen breathlessly telling me they had no line coaches. The AD stood on the sidelines of their practice field dismissing coaches while they were practicing. I think what we’re witnessing is an attempt to dismantle a very well-built program that is supported and respected across the state by generations of members of our community.”

Blythe noted the R.I. Interscholastic League doesn’t set a limit on the number of coaches. At the youth football level, 10 coaches were allowed for anywhere from 16 to 35 players, but the same number is now being deemed appropriate for 65 to 70 players, she said.

When he was named head coach, MacDonald should have been given a clear idea of how many coaches and volunteers were allowed. “That was not done. This is unprofessional, it’s irresponsible and it poses a safety risk to our football players,” said Blythe.

She wasn’t done, pressing Kenworthy for details about Thursday’s meeting when that matter came up on the agenda later in the evening. Blythe was incredulous after Kenworthy said neither Cory nor MacDonald would attend the meeting.

“You know that doesn’t make sense though, right? What’s the goal of the meeting?” asked Blythe, who said it was “preposterous” that the athletic director wasn’t invited to a parent meeting regarding PHS athletics.

“To ensure that the team has everything it needs to finish up the season,” the superintendent responded.

Dan Sanderson of Richard Drive, making his remarks during public comment, said “the good faith between the athletic department, players and coaches is broken beyond repair in my opinion. Trust broken on this scale cannot be mended. Our children need a leader they can be proud of now.”

Brad Landreville said he was one of the volunteer coaches dismissed last month. Both he and his wife, Dena, said he was given various reasons for being given the boot — everything from a background check to coaching a freshman game without approval on Sept. 21.

To be pulled from young players after just three weeks into the season is confusing to children, and also poses a safety risk to them, Landreville said. “It is a broken system, and hope it gets fixed,” he said.

Added his wife, “There is no policy because if there was, these coaches would have all been picked by May 15.

Leigh McGraw of Taylor Road, whose son played football at PHS and now competes at the Division III college level, said all of the dismissed volunteers should be reinstated. “This has been an absolute leadership failure on behalf of the school and what they’ve done to this football program,” McGraw said.

Brad Kelly, an assistant football coach at PHS for five years, said when a district hires a coach, it’s taking a leap of faith in trusting that coach to select assistants and volunteers. “Any decision that does not benefit the welfare of the kids is irrefutably the incorrect decision,” he said.

‘Group hug’ needed

Adam Seale, of Candy Court, said he coached at the college level and wanted to lend some of his expertise to the PHS football program. During his third practice, however, he was pulled out after being told there were too many coaches, he said.

Seale said he was disappointed in all the rancor, saying it’s divided the community. “I think this town and this room need a group hug. We’re fighting amongst each other, and that’s bad,” he said.

Committee member Sondra Blank said she would be attending the parent meeting, and that their voices matter. The hiring process hasn’t been clear, so it’s understandable why some people have expressed confusion, she said.

Another committee member, Emily Skeehan, insisted that all board members care “about the welfare of the students” and want to make improvements so that policies regarding the selection of coaches and volunteers are implemented as consistently as possible.

“We’re trying to understand what broke down,” said Skeehan, who invited parents to take part in the new School Climate and Culture Subcommittee, which is meeting at 10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 20, in the Hathaway School cafeteria. (A Zoom link is expected to be available soon.)

“I want to hear suggestions on what can be improved for all students in this district.”