SKOWHEGAN — Cony coaches acted appropriately when trying to break up a fight at a recent wrestling meet, administrators at Augusta and Skowhegan-area schools said following a review of the Jan. 18 incident.

The incident took place during a match in Skowhegan between wrestlers from Cony and Madison high schools, which turned into a melee as spectators and a coach entered the fray, prompting a call to police. One person was escorted out of the gym, but no arrests were made.

Mike Tracy Jr., superintendent of Augusta Schools, Cony High School’s district, said that the investigation exonerated the coaches.

“The Cony coaches were vindicated, and after review, acted with the utmost respect and took the right course of action,” Tracy said. “I’m proud of them.”

The fracas took place during a multiteam meet Jan. 18 at Skowhegan Area High School in a gymnasium packed with local high school teams, coaches, parents and other spectators.

Toward the end of a match between male wrestlers from Madison and Cony, the pair got into a fight and the mother of one of the athletes, Geraldine Patterson, came onto the mat to try to break it up, Chief David Bucknam of the Skowhegan Police Department said.

Patterson was escorted off the mats by the referee. However, when Cony Assistant Coach Shawn White also moved to break up the fight, he accidentally struck a spectator, Christina Leeman, in the head with his knee, Bucknam said.

Leeman’s boyfriend, Nathan Pease, then confronted White and attempted to grab his throat. White deflected the attempt, taking him down to the mat without causing any injuries, Bucknam said.

The police were alerted to the scene at 6:52 p.m. Skowhegan officers Cpl. Tyler Lafreniere and Alex Burns found all of the lights in the gym turned off except those over the mats.

Skowhegan’s athletic director requested that Patterson be removed from the premises because of her initial interference, Bucknam said.

“Whether she was just trying to help break up the fight or whatever, that’s not the point,” Bucknam said. “You’re to stay off the mat. That’s why she was asked to leave.”

No arrests were made, and wrestling matches resumed for the rest of the evening, he said.

After the situation was defused, the parties exchanged apologies, and the officers remained on the scene until matches concluded and everyone had exited the building.

“They felt that no arrest was warranted,” Bucknam said. “Everybody just needed to take a step back.”

The coach’s bump into Leeman was accidental, police said.

“That was an absolute, complete accident,” Bucknam said. “She was sitting on the edge of the mat watching the match, and when he ran out, he didn’t see her or got too close, but that was just a fluke incident.”

Leeman said that while the strike may have been accidental, the coach acted without regard for the safety of others.

“Had there been an infant, toddler, pregnant woman, or elder in his way, he would have caused them serious injury or death as well,” Leeman said in an email to Cony administrators. “When I and another parent brought this to his attention, he stepped angrily in our direction, aggressively yelling, ‘I don’t care!'”

Skowhegan Principal Jason Bellerose, who was at the Jan. 18 wrestling meet, said the spectators initiated the confrontation, leading to their removal.

“Upon the coach’s return to the corner, the spectator yelled and pointed at the coach,” Bellerose said. “Another spectator appeared to attack the coach. A small skirmish ensued and ultimately both spectators were removed from the event.”

Madison Superintendent Bonnie Levesque said she had no information to add.

The incident comes amid recent instances of violence related to high school sports.

Last week, Portland Public Schools decided not to fire Lincoln Middle School athletic director Jemal Murph, who struck a student at a soccer game in October in what he called self-defense.

On Jan. 10, a brawl between students broke out at a boys high school basketball game in Portland with 90 seconds still on the clock.

The wrestling coach at Messalonskee High School in Oakland was fired following an altercation Dec. 19 with a student wrestler during practice.

Reporter Dylan Tusinski contributed to this story.