Northside High strikes out|Superintendent ends team’s season after bus incident

Published 8:27 pm Thursday, May 14, 2009

By By Daily News reporters
GREG KATSKI and TED STRONG

The Northside High School baseball season is over.
According to Beaufort County Schools’ officials, Interim Superintendent William Rivenbark canceled the remainder of the Northside season after several members of the team threw baseballs out of the windows of an activity bus during a recent trip.
The baseball team was returning from Roanoke High School the night of May 4 when the incident occurred, the district press release indicated.
The release added: “Appropriate disciplinary action has been taken in accordance with Beaufort County Schools Student Code of Conduct policies.”
According to Capt. Kenneth Watson of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred about 11:40 p.m. on U.S. Highway 264 near Everett’s Crossroads.
Watson said one person was injured by shards of glass to the face when a baseball damaged a vehicle.
Watson said his office is working to determine if a crime has been committed and to identify suspects.
No arrests have been made, and the sheriff’s office is actively investigating and conducting interviews, Watson said.
Rivenbark’s response to the incident was tough and to the point: “I am very disappointed in the thoughtless misbehavior of these young men, and I am also disappointed with the team as a whole (players and coaches) in not taking appropriate, responsible action to prevent this inexcusable incident from occurring.”
Beaufort County Schools’ officials declined further comment on the issue, citing the ongoing investigation.
The Northside baseball team was scheduled to play its final game of the season on May 7 at Southside High School.
The Northside baseball team roster includes:
* Shay Brickhouse
* Bradley Slade
* Justin Boyd
* Zach Boyd
* David Howard
* Eric Collier
* Dee Martin Grant Fath
* Josh Miller
* Thack Cutler
* Tyler Woolard
* Josh Latham
* Dalton Baynor
* Isaiah McCullor.
Slade, Cutler, Boyd, Fath and Baynor are graduating seniors at Northside High School.