Wareham athletics: spring successes, growing football roster and a field‑use dispute

Ed Rodricks (spring sports presenter) told the Wareham School Committee that spring athletics produced multiple postseason qualifiers and several individual awards, calling it “one of the better ones we’ve had in a long, long time.”

Rodricks said baseball, softball and boys and girls tennis all qualified for postseason play; he noted individual honors including Sienna Cave (conference MVP in track) and Greg Bedoyan (runner of the year), and awards for coaches recognized in regional media. Rodricks said football participation topped 40 players — a number the program has not seen in recent memory — while field hockey has struggled to reach usable roster size.

To sustain field hockey, Rodricks said the program arranged to add athletes from Bourne and Mashpee; those towns will provide transportation and a coach to bring players to Wareham for practices and home games. He said the arrangement would be reviewed after one or two seasons.

Committee members raised the renovated high‑school field as a community asset and questioned whether outside teams — including an AAU team identified in discussion as the Gateway program — should be allowed to play there. Rodricks and other members described a recent incident in which visiting teams played an exhibition and some community members expressed frustration about scheduling and access. Committee members said they want to explore policies that balance town investment and school use and ensure younger Wareham teams have occasional access.

No formal action was taken; the committee encouraged staff to continue outreach with neighboring programs and to bring recommendations on field‑use rules if policy changes are required.