by Geoff Fox
The Hancock Panthers football team played their final game of the season last Friday evening, November 1, against Clear Springs and lost 50-0, but that wasn’t the only loss they had that night. Their biggest loss came shortly before the game took place.
Head Coach Ron Hare resigned as coach after a meeting with Athletic Director Kermit Moyer about an hour before the team left for Clear Spring.
This was Hare’s fourth season at the helm of the Hancock Panthers football team. 
During that four years, Hancock hadn’t played in the postseason. Hare said last year he wanted to play in the postseason, but after some discussion with the administration, Hancock’s team didn’t play.
He said there was a stipulation tied to the Clear Spring game where if the Panthers won, they’d talk about postseason play, but if they lost, there’d be no further consideration.
Hare agreed to that stipulation last year, but this year was different. He said he wasn’t given a chance to add postseason play to the Panther schedule.
Hare said he was talking to Assistant Coach Todd Ruppenthal about offense last Friday when he was told Moyer wanted to speak to him.
He said while talking to Ruppenthal, it was brought up they’d have to be careful playing Allegany in the playoffs. Hare said Allegany wouldn’t have been Hancock’s postseason matchup, but even if they were, it was “still a football game.”
“I found that to be kind of weird,” Hare said.
When in Moyer’s office, Hare said he was told Moyer and Principal Jennifer Ruppenthal decided the Panthers wouldn’t be playing in the playoffs. The reason? According to Hare, it was because they “don’t think the kids are good enough.”
“I just stopped like, ‘Whoa! What did you just say to me?’” Hare recounted.
Hare claims the athletic director told him the team wasn’t competitive enough to play.
“That is a disgraceful comment to make towards kids,” Hare said. “It really is.”
Hare said he was not brought into the conversation and the principal and vice-principal/athletic director made the decision on their own. Moyer holds both the position of vice-principal and athletic director at Hancock Middle-Senior High School.
Hare said neither consulted him or the players before opting out of postseason games.
After going back and forth with Moyer, Hare said he calmed down and asked if that was the final decision. Moyer said it was.
Hare then told Moyer his final decision was that he resigned as football coach and what the administration was doing to the kids was “an injustice and disgrace.”
“They’ve worked hard, regardless of the record, they deserve to play another game,” Hare said.
After leaving the meeting, Hare told the players and parents about his decision to leave.
“I told them I refuse to coach for a school that talks about their kids like that and has no belief in their kids,” Hare said.
Shortly after, the Hancock Panther football went to play their scheduled game against Clear Spring.
Hare said as he traveled toward Clear Spring to watch the game, he got a phone call from Moyer telling him he wasn’t allowed to talk to the kids, go anywhere near the kids and was not to try to coach them. The former coach said he was told to stay away from the game in Clear Spring.
There was no reason given, Hare said.
Hare said he agreed not to talk to the players as he wasn’t the coach, but he made it clear he would go to the game as a spectator and cheer on the Panthers.
When he got to the football field at Clear Spring High School, Hare, along with his wife and a couple friends, paid to get into the game where they sat down and talked to several Hancock parents.
Hare said he told parents he was there to watch the game and they could talk another time, and he was just there standing up for the kids.
During the first few minutes of the game against Clear Spring, Principal Ruppenthal allegedly told Hare he needed to leave the game.
When he asked why, Hare said he was told she’d get the police to remove him from the game.
As Ruppenthal left to get the police, Hare said he told his wife they were leaving as the game was about the kids and he didn’t want to make a scene. Parents around them were already yelling at Ruppenthal, said Hare.
“She basically embarrassed me and my family by having us escorted out of there and I don’t appreciate that,” Hare said. “I did nothing wrong. I was just trying to root the kids on.”
Hare said two weeks ago, Moyer was talking to him about how forfeits at another school would affect where Hancock would be seeded in the playoffs.
“If you were going to think about it, don’t you think they should have told me then, ‘Hey, we’re thinking about not letting you play,’ but nothing,” Hare said. “Just sprung it on us an hour before we were going to board the bus for Clear Spring.”
Hare has also been the coach for Hancock’s outdoor track, but after the situation with the football team, that position could be in question.
Hare said he couldn’t “honestly, consciously, coach for a school that does not care enough about their kids,”
He noted the school allowed an 0-18 girls basketball team play in the playoffs, but wouldn’t allow the boys that want to play in a football playoff game.
“So, no I won’t be back as the track coach, either,” he said.
There has been an outpouring of support and anger on social media regarding the events of last Friday.
Hare said he and the community are making a stand for the kids and feel they were wronged and people that shouldn’t have made the decision did so without discussing it with everyone involved.
Hare said he’s had an outpouring of support from former players and alumni.
“They’ve been reaching out to me basically telling me ‘keep your head up’ and this and that,” Hare said.
The timing, Hare said, was horrible as they should have waited until after the game to tell Hare and the team about the decision not to play in the playoffs.
Hare said they could have called Saturday morning and arranged a meeting where things could have been discussed.
“We’d all been mad, upset, but you know what, we’d have still played our last game,” Hare said. The team did play their last game, but the kids’ hearts weren’t in the game, he said.
Principal Jennifer Ruppenthal did release a statement on Saturday, November 2 after news of the postseason decision and the incident with Hare at Clear Spring circulated on social media.
Her statement read: “Dear Panther families, I hope this message finds you well. I am reaching out to address questions that have come up regarding the Hancock football team’s participation in postseason play.
“Within the last four years, the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) updated its rules to allow all high schools to qualify for the postseason playoffs. However, each school must decide independently whether to participate. This decision is carefully made by the school athletic director and principal in consultation with the district athletic director, who evaluate several factors at the close of the regular season. Considerations include the competitiveness of the other teams in the playoffs as well as prioritizing the health and safety of our student-athletes, particulary to avoid injuries that could affect their involvement in winter and spring sports,” she wrote.
“Hancock has chosen not to participate in post season play this year. For context, Hancock has not participated since the rule change.”
“Hancock Middle Senior High School is proud of our Panther football team’s performance on the field this season. We appreciate our student athletes’ commitment and determination, and they are to be commended.”
“Thank you for your understanding and support as we continue to prioritize our students’ well-being and success both on and off the field. If you have any questions, please contact me at [email protected] or by calling the school at 301-766-8186.”
Ruppenthal confirmed that message went out to Hancock Middle Senior High School staff and families on Saturday evening. She had no additional comments on Tuesday morning.
Hare said he’s been distraught the whole weekend thinking about the situation.
Hare said he and many others are planning to attend the next Washington County Public Schools board meeting on November 19 to show their support for the Hancock football team.
