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Just over two weeks ago, a train derailment in East Palestine thoroughly devastated a local community and its surrounding areas.
Since that time, the aftermath has affected different aspects of life for many community members around the area and this past week it leaked over into the athletic landscape of the OHSAA girls basketball playoffs.
On Thursday, the 9th-seeded East Palestine Bulldogs were set to host the 15th-seeded Bristol Panthers in the first round of the postseason tournament, a sectional semifinal matchup. But, after a discussion between the two schools and the OHSAA, the game was declared a 'no contest' and East Palestine advanced in the tournament.
Then, just two days later, after hosting and beating LaBrae on Wednesday, the 3rd-seeded Crestview Rebels were set to host No. 22 Beachwood in a sectional final game on Saturday. Due to safety concerns on the Beachwood side, and not wanting to travel near the site of the train derailment, the game was ruled a 'no contest' and Crestview was declared the winner and advanced in the bracket.
In terms of the East Palestine/Bristol matchup, the OHSAA issued a statement that said the game would not be moved because "Local, state and federal health officials have determined that East Palestine High School can safely open and host extra-curricular activities."
Because of the concerns still surrounding the safety of the area and everything involved, Bristol superintendent Christopher Dray said parents of girls on the team were worried about having to travel and play.
"After considering the concerns of our families it has been decided that the game will not be played tonight and Bristol will unfortunately forfeit," Dray said in a statement. "The safety of our athletes, families and the community comes first and foremost."
Given the situation, I think it's very unfortunate that the Bristol girls saw their season come to an end this way after going .500 in the first year of a new coach. But, I can also see both sides of the coin in this scenario.
After going 12-8 this season, the Bulldogs earned the right to play one final home game this season, because whether they won or not, they were bound to play on the road in the sectional final game on Saturday. So if the game was to be played, East Palestine had the right to say whether it would be played at their school, or a neutral site.
East Palestine was disappointed that the issue could not be resolved but also acknowledged where Bristol was coming from.
"Certainly we are disappointed Bristol could not come to us to play the game," East Palestine City School District Superintendent Chris Neifer said. "I respect their right to do so though. We understand there are a lot of decisions driven by fear and uncertainty right now and I'm not sure what we would have done (if we were in their situation)."
Just like East Palestine, I can completely support the decision that Bristol made in not wanting to make the 50-mile trek. In situations like this, even though the area has been declared safe, you never know what side effects there may be and the parents made their children's safety their priority rather than a first round playoff basketball game.
Both sides in this situation are tough and like Neifer stated, I'm not sure I would've been making a different decision if I was in either position. In retrospect, it would've been nice to see the game moved and then played, but I also respect East Palestine and the OHSAA for keeping the game at East Palestine.
gmacafee@tribtoday.com