Mapletown football coach and Dilliner man cited after fight
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A Mapletown Junior High School football coach and another man got into a fight Aug. 19 during team picture day at the Mapletown football field, prompting state police to file harassment citations against both men.
Mapletown head middle school football coach John Johnston, 55, and Gary Evans, 46, both of Dilliner, got into an altercation after Johnston told Mapletown High School head football coach George Messich that Evans was speaking ill of him, according to Johnston.
Johnston said Evans jumped over the fence around the football field and started screaming expletives and other harsh words at him while several players were standing on the field. The words turned into shoving between both men and ended with Evans allegedly hitting Johnston in the jaw with an open hand, according to state police.
Evans declined to comment Wednesday.
Johnston and Evans were each cited last week for harassment.
“The school district will not tolerate that type of behavior,” Southeastern Greene Superintendent Rich Pekar said. “Currently, both adults are banned from campus.”
On Tuesday, Pekar informed Johnston he was temporarily removed from the head middle school football coaching position and he is not allowed to return to school grounds until Oct. 23. His future as the junior high school football coach was uncertain Wednesday.
“This has got me so upset,” Johnston said. “I now can’t even go to my son’s senior football games at home. I think I got railroaded.”
As of Wednesday, no action to fire any coach was made by the school board, according to Pekar.
Evans is also banned school grounds for an unknown amount of time.