MARBLEHEAD — When it comes to Marblehead High’s state tournament football game on Friday, there is good and bad news.
With the ongoing teacher strike, Marblehead’s game at Grafton High (6 p.m.) was in question. Thursday, however, a press release from Interim Superintendent John Robidoux offered a sigh of relief.
“I have determined that we can equitably and safely allow for high school athletic and extracurricular activities to take place as scheduled this weekend,” the statement said.
But as a union member, head coach Jim Rudloff, in his 16th season and 25th as a special education teacher at the high school, won’t be allowed to coach. Marblehead will also be without assistant coach Mike Giardi, who heads Marblehead High’s math department.
“This is just a small step in normalizing the student’s experience during these challenging times,” the statement said. “As the leader, I will continue to monitor the ongoing situation and make decisions accordingly. I remain cautiously optimistic that the ongoing mediation will result in an agreement and students will be back within the classrooms in short order.”
Marblehead – winner of seven consecutive games – is ranked sixth in the Division 4 tournament, while its opponent, third-ranked Grafton, heads into Friday’s game undefeated at 9-0.
