MHS Principal to Meet With NHIAA Over Violation

Merrimack High School Principal Ken Johnson is headed to Concord on Wednesday to meet with the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association regarding the recent situation with the Merrimack High School baseball coach and athletic director, according to an article in the Nashua Telegraph.

Johnson was asked to conduct an investigation on his own end to determine what happened when baseball coach Ryan Anderson apparently violated rules precluding him from participating in a game he was suspended from following an ejection from a separate game. He will meet with the NHIAA's Sportsmanship Committee to discuss the results of his investigation.

Anderson and Athletic Director Andy Krahling both resigned their posts on June 7, the same day the baseball team beat Nashua High School North in the semifinals for a berth in the championship game.

According to explaining his resignation to Patch and other media outlets, he'd been ejected from a game, which meant a suspension from "game events" for the next two games.

Anderson said he knew he was suspended from the quarterfinal game against Exeter on June 5, but he said he didn't realize that meant he couldn't be there while the team was warming up.

"Not considering a warm-up as a part of a 'game event,' I hit balls for fielding practice before the quarter-final game but left the stadium before the game began," Anderson wrote. "Unfortunately, my interpretation of what constitutes a 'game event' was wrong – warm-up before the game is deemed by the NHIAA as part of the 'game event.' To prevent MHS from having to forfeit that game, and thus be out of championship contention, I resigned."

Superintendent Marge Chiafery, who confirmed to Patch on June 7 that the pair had resigned, said they had resigned voluntarily and effective immediately.

According to the Telegraph article, Assistant Principal Peter Bergeron temporarily stepped into the athletic director position and is helping Chiafery review candidates for the full-time position.