KELSEYVILLE — Kelseyville High School principal Matt Cockerton was briefly hospitalized Friday night after a confrontation with the parent of a Middletown High School student who was asked to leave the gymnasium during halftime of the varsity boys” basketball game between the two schools.
Cockerton, who complained of breathing difficulties, was transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital in Lakeport and released Saturday morning.
Contacted by the Record-Bee at his home Monday night, Cockerton said he did not want to comment on the incident, which officers of the California Highway Patrol and Lake County Sherriff”s Office responded to, until after he had discussed the matter with Boyce McClain, the superintendent of schools for the Kelseyville Unified School District.
Monday was a school holiday and Cockerton said he would talk with McClain early today.
According to witnesses at the game, including John Berry, the principal of Mountain Vista Middle School in Kelseyville and the father of Kelseyville varsity player Nick Schaefer, Cockerton, a Middletown High student and his mother, were engaged in a heated exchange in the gym lobby at halftime.
Profanities directed at a Kelseyville varsity player in the first half of the game prompted Cockerton to intervene, according to Berry.
“I heard Cockerton direct the Middletown male student and the woman, who turned out to be his mother, to leave the premises,” Berry stated in an incident report that was sent to administrators at both high schools as well to superintendents of both school districts. “Cockerton told the woman that her son had been verbally abusive during the first half of the game, directing vulgarities from his seat in the stands toward Kelseyville player Stephen Grossner. The Middletown student told Cockerton multiple times to ?(expletive) off.” His mother screamed at Cockerton to ?keep your (expletive) hands off my son.””
Berry also said that the parent claimed Cockerton had struck her son and that she screamed at another Kelseyville administrator, Kelseyville Elementary School principal Dave McQueen, to quit following her.
As the shouting match moved from the gym lobby into Kelseyville”s upper parking lot just outside the main gym entrance, McQueen directed several Kelseyville parents back in the gym, according to Berry. A Middletown student, junior Matt Outen, also helped diffuse the situation by getting a group of 10-12 other Middletown students to leave the area and return to the gym, according to Berry”s report.
Berry said he did not witness any punches exchanged between Kelseyville administrators or the Middletown student.
“In the entire time I observed this incident, I heard a lot of swearing toward Cockerton and McQueen by a Middletown high school student and his mother, but I never observed either man touch, hit or punch the youth in question or his mother,” Berry said in his report.
Sheriff”s Deputy Vern Huggins of the Lake County Sheriff”s Office was the first officer on scene and he later transported Cockerton to the hospital.
Middletown High School varsity boys” basketball coach said he wasn”t aware of the situation until after the game had ended but that a “group of Middletown fans” seated on the east side of the Kelseyville gym were “making a lot of noise.”
Said Mullin, “To be honest, I don”t normally hear what”s being said during a game, I”m so wrapped up in coaching it.”
Mullin added that the Middletown student who was in the lobby with his mom and Cockerton at halftime was a junior varsity player at the school.
“I know one of the kids was a JV kid,” Mullin said. “Other than that all I can give you is a lot of hearsay.”
Mullin said the incident was an unfortunate way for the Mustangs, who won the varsity game 51-42, to end their night.
“We”re excited about the win and then I hear about this,” Mullin said.
“I was completely oblivious to anything that happened until after the game,” Kelseyville coach Scott Conrad said. “The only things I know are what I heard after the game.”
During the game, Conrad said he couldn”t hear what the Middletown fans in question were saying, but that they were gesturing toward the players on the floor.
“I could see ”em but I couldn”t hear ”em,” Conrad said.
During a trip to Middletown last season, Conrad said the game was interrupted when Middletown fans began fighting among themselves in the stands.
“There was no one from Kelseyville involved in that,” he said. “It was all them.”
Brian Sumpter can be reached at rbsports@aol.com.
