Robert D. Edgren’s spring sports teams will get a chance at competition with other DODEA-Japan schools, after all.

“After much coordination with our military partners and DODEA leadership, Edgren-student athletes will have the opportunity” to travel to compete at Yokota High School this weekend and next, DODEA-Pacific spokeswoman Miranda Ferguson said in an email to Stripes.

Track and field and boys soccer will compete Saturday, and baseball, softball and girls soccer on April 24.

“Mitigations will be in place for the health and safety of student-athletes,” Ferguson said regarding taking precautions against the coronavirus.

Edgren coaches and athletes reacted positively to the news.

“I’m pumped,” Edgren junior distance runner Morgan Erler said. She finished second to Yokota’s Reagan Cheramie in the virtual Far East cross-country meet in January and gets a chance to face her on Saturday. “I’m so glad to finally be able to compete in person again.”

Edgren is the last of the six DODEA-Japan schools to get the go-ahead to play matches, games and meets. The other five began their abbreviated spring sports seasons on March 20.

“It’s been frustrating seeing the other schools get to compete and not being able to compete ourselves,” said Edgren senior soccer player Nathan Barry.

The Eagles boys soccer team a season ago was “the strongest team we’ve had recently,” Eagles senior Ethan Hovenkotter said. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, all DODEA-Pacific spring sports were shut down.

“We’re glad that we’re able to play an actual game this season,” Hovenkotter said. “We’re looking forward to this weekend and our last games.”

Edgren’s track team joins those of Yokota, Zama American and Nile C. Kinnick at 9 a.m. Saturday at Yokota’s Bonk Field. The Eagles boys soccer team will play two matches at Yokota High School’s grass field, also starting at 9 a.m. according to the updated DODEA-Japan schedule.

Girls soccer plays on April 24 at 9 a.m., one match each on the grass field and Bonk’s turf field. Baseball plays at 9 a.m. at Yokota Park on the base’s east side and softball at 9 a.m. at Yokota High School’s Headley Memorial Field.

ornauer.dave@stripes.com Twitter @daveornauer

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