As rain persists, schools using Lewiston's fields for postseason games

Players from Lewiston and Oxford Hills prepare for the opening kickoff during the first football game ever played on the new field at Lewiston High School in August. The Cony football team plans to use Lewiston’s fields on Nov. 2, and soccer teams will also use them for postseason games. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)

AUGUSTA — The heavy dose of wet weather across central Maine is impacting postseason tournaments, from soccer to field hockey and football.

As fields become increasingly unplayable, and with more wet weather in the forecast, area athletic directors are scrambling to adjust game schedules or find alternate venues altogether.

The Cony football team finished 7-1 and earned a bye into the Pine Tree Conference Class B semifinals, but it has played its final home game at Alumni Field this fall. School athletic director Paul Vachon said Wednesday the Rams will play its Nov. 2 semifinal game against either No. 3 Brunswick or No. 6 Brewer at Lewiston High School.

“We can’t play on our field,” Vachon said. “It’s a mess. We just don’t believe it’s safe and it’s not going to get any better. For the safety of the kids, we moved the game.”

Cony isn’t the only school to reach out to Lewiston, whose athletic teams play on two new artificial turf fields this year.

The Hall-Dale boys soccer team (14-1-0) will play its C South semifinal against either No. 6 Winthrop (10-4-0) or No. 3 Maranacook (12-2-0) — those teams meet in a quarterfinal game Wednesday night in Readfield — on Friday at 3:30 p.m. at Lewiston High School.

“Our field just doesn’t drain real well,” Hall-Dale boys soccer coach Andy Haskell said. “It’s always soft this time of year. This isn’t that uncommon. In 2012, we played a regional final at Thomas College.”

Lewiston athletic director Jason Fuller said he’s been inundated with requests to use the city-owned fields.

“I knew we’d hear from some people,” he said. “We knew there would be some rentals. But I don’t think the volume was something we anticipated. It’s been one rental after another. We knew we’d get some calls, but we weren’t quite ready for the volume. It’s worked out that we’ve been able to make accommodations. Can we always do this? I don’t know. It does create a lot of extra work on so many levels.”

Fuller added that he hasn’t had to turn down a request.

“We haven’t said no, ” he said, “but we’ve had to slide some things back and forth on some days.”

The Richmond girls soccer team moved its D South quarterfinal game Wednesday against No. 8 Hyde (5-9-1) to McMann Field in Bath. Richmond athletic director Jon Spear said should the top-seeded Bobcats (10-3-1) win, they’d like to host a regional semifinal on Friday at 3 p.m., but a lot will depend on field conditions.

Furthermore, the field hockey regional finals scheduled Tuesday were postponed to Wednesday.