Devil Rays Take the Field

The Ivanna Eudora Kean football season was cut short after the team was forced to forfeit their final game.

The Kean football team did not play for the rest of the season because their field was not suitable for practice, according to the VI Daily News. The players were being injured by rocks as they fell during practice, and the coaching staff decided that the field was not safe for practice. Players became discouraged because of their lack of preparation and quit the team. (See related stories for more information on the field.)

Kean High Athletic Director Peter Siepel said, ”Our school is treated like the stepchild.”

He also said, “This is wrong for CAHS Coach Myron Corbett to be worrying about how hard the Hawks practice and how upset he and his team are and realize that Kean Rays don’t have a practice field, so they are the ones to be more upset at the situation.”

Students from Kean High’s Journalism class interviewed football players in the school about how they felt about the way they are treated. Akram Soloman, a member of the team said, “What goes around comes around because one of these days, CAHS wouldn't have anything....and we will still continue to play whether they like it or not.”

“We are only as strong as our weakest link and right now the people of the community will do anything to bring us down; we are treated as if we are not as good as the other school, but I know we are much better,” said offensive receiver Kordell Robb.

When asked if he thinks the football team gets enough support from the school community, Everson Fevier, defensive captain, said, “No we don't get enough support; they want to make noise when we come school, because we lose the game. Support us, and we can and will be a better team.”

An English teacher at Kean High, Dr.Thomas Unger, said, “You give us a field,and we’ll show those pesky Chicken Hawks what real football is cause we got the speed, we got the power, we got the brains. Just give us the ball and a field to practice on and we’re good to go.”

The situation still remains and the question is, will Kean have their field for their football season of 2011?