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SPANISH FORK — A prank by students at Spanish Fork High School has some people upset after raccoon carcasses were found on a city softball field last week.
The carcasses were the end result of what started when some members of the Spanish Fork High School softball team stuck forks into the city field where the high school boys baseball team plays.
Nebo School District spokeswoman Lana Hiskey said the prank didn't turn out as expected because the next team to use the baseball field was a city league team, and that team had to clean up the mess before any games could be played.
News of the prank spread quickly around the high school as many students were celebrating what they like to call "prank week" last week. Hiskey said prank week is not recognized by the school.
Around a dozen teenage boys, including some members of the Spanish Fork High School baseball team decided to get the softball players back with a prank of their own.
Two of the baseball players involved in the prank said they gathered dead carp at Utah Lake and then got some old raccoon carcasses from a student whose family sells animals pelts at their farm. The teenage boys then put the carcasses and fish around the girls' softball field.
Several people in the community were upset after hearing about the carcasses at the ball complex, and some emailed KSL saying they wanted to see more punishment for those involved.
Hiskey said the baseball and softball fields used in the pranks are city property, not school property. She also said school coaches were not aware of the pranks until after they happened. The Spanish Fork High School boys baseball coach did discipline any of his players who took part in the prank by having them do community service by cleaning up several of the city ball fields.
"They were teenagers who were pulling pranks on each other," Hiskey said. "However, that being said, any time our students misrepresent their school or part of the team, you know we take it seriously."
The players also said beyond doing community service the coach made them "run (their) butts off" during practice.
Hiskey said the girls on the softball team who put forks on the baseball field have not been disciplined to her knowledge.
The baseball players who spoke on condition of anonymity said they want to stop any rumors that they killed and skinned animals as part of their prank.
Spanish Fork police did write up a report on the pranks and notified the school about what happened, but no citations were issued.
Top image: "Regardless of Nelson Field being "Forked to death" there will be a game today at 3:30 vs Juab" from Spanish Fork High School Baseball's Twitter feed.
