UPDATED: Tornado Warning Postpones Medfield Boys' Lax Tourney Game

A  across Norfolk County, including in Medfield Wednesday, forced the Medfield High School boys' lacrosse team to wait another day to start its MIAA Eastern Division 2 title defense.

The Warriors' preliminary round game in the MIAA State Tournament against Dennis-Yarmouth was postponed due to the severe weather and will be played Thursday at 3 p.m. at the MHS Turf.

"I could have waited out the lightning but now there's another report of a cell forming in Western Massachusetts so it's not going to let up anytime soon," said Medfield Athletic Director Jon Kirby. 

The game was originally delayed half an hour due to visible lightning over the field less than seven minutes until game time at 5 p.m. Kirby originally said the game would begin around 5:30 p.m., hoping the storm would blow over. After heavy rain began to fall and the thunder storm became more severe, hopes of playing Wednesday's game became grim. 

Medfield Police ordered players, coaches and spectators at Wednesday's game inside the school as reports of a tornado touching down in Worcester and Springfield surfaced and Norfolk County being under a tornado warning. 

Just after 6:30 p.m., Kirby announced to those in the lower level of the school's gymnasium, near the locker rooms, that Wednesday's game was officially postponed and will be played Thursday at 3 p.m. 

Both teams were on the field running drills with just under seven minutes to go in warmups when Kirby, advised by Medfield Chief of Police Robert Meaney Jr., ordered players into the high school. 

"I did advise to have the lacrosse team and spectators shelter on the same level as where they walk in from the fields because they have access to the locker rooms there," he said. "There is less glass – NWS advice during a severe thunderstorm at all times – and a gym would not be appropriate during this type of potential event."

Many of the Dennis-Yarmouth players remained in the gymnasium. Both teams ordered pizzas to wait out the storm. 

Kirby and both lacrosse teams originally planned on waiting out the storm to avoid postponing the game and be forced to find a day to make it up between the preliminary and first round games.