Football Fight Brings Stiff Penalties
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The Pinecrest and Union Pines football teams have been barred from the state playoffs this season as a result of a fight during the Battle of the Pines game last Friday.
The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) issued its ruling Thursday, according to a news release from the Moore County school system.
Each school was fined for players leaving the sidelines during a fight, and both football programs have been placed on probation by the NCHSAA, which is in keeping with the association’s practice.
The Moore County school system has taken additional disciplinary action, according to a news release.
“The altercation between teams that occurred in last Friday’s game between Pinecrest and Union Pines is both unfortunate and regrettable,” Superintendent Susan Purser said.
Purser said that the schools have taken “full responsibility” for the fight and accept the consequences for their actions.
“We realize that the consequences of this incident impact not only the teams involved and the schools, it impacts our entire school district and community,” she said. “Our charge is to lead and model appropriate behavior in all situations, and Friday evening’s incident is not indicative of the conduct we expect or what we hope to accomplish through our athletic programs.
“However, it is essential that we learn from such situations and see them as opportunities to grow and do better in the future.”
The NCHSAA ruling came after it reviewed reports from game officials and both schools as well as a video of the incident that was taken by a fan.
In conjunction with the NCHSAA, each school was required to conduct its own investigation into the incident. As a result of those investigations, additional players have been disciplined by both schools.
The school did not elaborate on those disciplinary actions.
NCHSAA Commissioner Davis Whitfield expressed his appreciation to the schools for their cooperation in conducting thorough investigations.
“To date, both teams have completed or are in the process of completing the STAR Sportsmanship program, and both schools have taken several additional steps, including their own suspensions, and the NCHSAA supports those additional actions,” he said.
The ruling and subsequent disciplinary action stems from an incident during the second quarter of the game that resulted in officials ejecting three players from each team for fighting.
NCHSAA rules state, “If a situation occurs where three or more players on one team are ejected during one fighting incident, those three individual ejections will cause the team to lose its playoff privileges.”
The incident, which delayed the game for more than 20 minutes, happened after a kickoff by the Patriots following a touchdown and two-point conversion that gave them a 49-7 lead with with 4:25 left in the half.
“Folks need to know that we are reaching for a high standard and that our reaction (to the incident) was not negative, but rather, ‘What do we do to get better?’” Purser said. “It’s about what do we learn, not consequences.”
NCHSAA rules dictate that any team accumulating six or more ejections during a season or three or more ejections for fighting will be barred from participating in the playoffs.
Players ejected for fighting must miss the next two games. All other ejections result in a one-game suspension.
According to NCHSAA officials, the rule barring teams from the postseason for accumulating ejections is about 12 years old. It is believed that no playoff-eligible football team has ever missed the playoffs because of the accumulation of ejections.
Pinecrest has made the playoffs in each of the previous two seasons. Union Pines last advanced to the playoffs in 2007.
“This was an unfortunate situation, and we in no way condone this activity, but in general both schools reacted immediately and controlled their players on the sidelines,” Purser said. “We certainly hope that there will be no further incidents of this type this season.”
Pinecrest has won nine of the last 10 games in the Battle of the Pines, including this year’s lopsided 69-14 decision.
School officials have not said whether the Battle of the Pines football game will be played again.
Contact Tom Embrey at tembrey@thepilot.com.
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Comments
superman1979 1 year, 8 months ago
i was at the game, saw the fight or in my opinion nothing more than regular pushing and shoving. This is a sad day for both programs, I understand what the rule books say, but i believe if the official had know the rules they would have changed the way or reasons for throwing out some of the players. This should have been handled differently, now both teams are being punished serverly, I wish they would put out the video, maybe I missed something. I played football at PC and in my day what happened on the field would have been a simple unsportsman like penalty, and the two players who initiated things would have been thrown out. I complement both coaches, and for those of you who are insulting Pinecrest's football coach, grow up this man has brought pride to Pinecrest Football, his players conduct community service, and attend church activities. He is a good coach. I've seen my share of coaches that don't bring anything back to the community he is not one of them. To both teams respect the game and do your best to win all games laid before you. Every game is now a playoff game.
Nicole 1 year, 8 months ago
@ superman1979, I could not have said it better, yea i was at the game too and thats all it was pushing and shoving(unsportsmanship) other people that were not there simply act like it was a bar fight, and this has been drawned out far too much, and another thing Coach Metzger is a great guy he has turned things around for PC, and it makes no since to me why alot of people have said so many negative comments about him? I hope both teams can learn from this and lets just move on and play some football, thanks so much superman1979 you make PC proud
theonewithsense 1 year, 8 months ago
The people that have bad things to say about Coach Metzger,
If you do bad, your fans don't like you. If you do good, other fans don't like you. It's part of the position, and I'm sure he has no problem with nameless faceless people talkin junk.
donj 1 year, 8 months ago
Metzger is classless for going for 2 up 200 points. Karma is a great thing....
Don
foregolf 1 year, 8 months ago
I was at the game, I saw the incident, and I DID see one player from PHS punching a UP player (at lease three times) while he was still wearing his helmet. I remember this because I thought that the PHS player was going to do more damage to his own hand than the other players head. I am a proud PHS graduate (Class of 1990), I attended every football game, home and away during my years there (I was in the Marching Band), and I will continue to cheer on and support my home team. But to say that this was all pushing and shoving is not accurate from where I was sitting.
Also- kudos to Coach Metzger for playing to win. Has anyone else seen a huge lead blown later in a game? I have and to go for extra points early in a game, even with a huge lead, is not insulting. Now, if he chose to do that in the 4th with that kind of a lead, that would be a different story.
member 1 year, 8 months ago
@ Gabanga-I attend Grace Church and have seen Coach Metzger and his family there many times. I highly doubt he's Catholic, but I could be wrong.
I know that's not your point, but I do feel like you need to be careful when talking about people's religion...
jembraskz 1 year, 8 months ago
I feel that the supporters of pinecrest and union pines need to get together and do something about both of these teams barred from the playoffs. This was a shoving match!! Yes, there should have been an ejection, and maybe a 1 game suspention, but we as a moore county community should try to help our schools get there playoff's back. They showed a clip of the game on the news, and all i saw was 2 of the kids pushing and the rest of the guys were juist out there trying to break it up...come on give these kids a fair chance!!!
nyy02 1 year, 8 months ago
To everyone who is bashing Coach Metzger- the pathetic thing is you don't have the balls to make any of these comments to the man himself. You would rather make your cute little statements from home through your computer keys. I am tired of hearing the naive and clueless people who say he is classless, who criticize his religion (really???? it'll come back to you, don't worry), and who try to judge a man by one incident. I am a senior at Pinecrest High School who has known Metzger since he arrived, and he is one of the classiest men I know. Do you know about the carwashes he does with his ENTIRE team to give back to the community? Do you know how many pastors Metzger has invited to speak to his football team, to teach his student athletes how to become better men, on and off the field? Have you walked through the weightroom up at the fieldhouse, and read the phrases posted on the wall? Did you know that the football team camps out at the school once a year, to build camaraderie amongst the players? Did you know that Metzger is in the Pinecrest High School courtyard every day after school (and usually during lunches), greeting students and teachers? Do you know that 'sacrifice', 'believe' and other inspirational words have been printed on the football team's practice shirts since Metzger has arrived? Do you know about the Breakfast of Champions program (created by Metzger) that runs all summer for the benefit of the athletes at Pinecrest High School?
Now does that sound like some classless, careless coach? Yeah, I didn't think so.
And how has Metzger given back, to the community that has supported him from the beginning, the MOST? He is WINNING. He is not a smoke-a-mirrors show, trying to clean up a pathetic football program. He has created a powerhouse, and he has helped put Pinecrest Football back on the map. He has allowed this community to be proud of excellent football program, once again. How did he do it? He made the players believe in themselves.
The last question is- Do you know Chris Metzger? If you don't, keep your ignorant comments to yourself.
CONCUSSIONSMAKEYOUSTRONGER127 1 year, 8 months ago
This is an absolute outrage.
Coach Metzger has done too much for Pinecrest High School and for our community, to receive such criticism.
First, @ Flactem and the other pundits who claim that Coach Metzger is classless: You have clearly not seen Coach Metzger’s new focus on the classroom
Just instituted this year, every football player is required to take at least one arts-based elective. Orchestra, band, chorus, debate, creative-writing, and drawing have soared to new heights with Pinecrest’s champions joining their ranks.
Furthermore, the pass/fail football class has been completely abolished. In past years, football players and parents cried-out about in-class boredom, dry course-catalogs and general academic disengagement – The case was made to end football class.
Every month, Closed-door discussions centered on the pressing issue. On one side, the majority called-for an end to football class. Yet, a stingy minority held firm that coach-led word-of-the day sessions were more than enough intellectual-stimulation for one class-period. Fortunately, some newly-arrived football coaches voiced their discontent last month, and the debate screeched to an end: Football class is no more
Secondly,
With the grand pool of resources that Pinecrest athletics have accumulated over the past four years, other athletic and academic programs have exploded to life. Long suffering from cracked courts and tattered windscreens, Pinecrest’s tennis courts are scheduled for resurfacing just this year. The Nationally competitive debate program is expanding its sizeable travel budget, and the soccer program is building a brand new complex.
–All thanks to the Football program.
*With particular reference to last Friday’s controversial incident: Some critics have suggested that Metzger went too far with the score in last Friday’s game. These lost souls simply fail to realize the importance of success: Without football victories, tickets go unsold, and all of Pinecrest’s stellar clubs and activities lose funding.
Thus, with the score tight at 47-7 and Union Pines looking ready for a comeback, the important tactical decision was made: Protect the lead with a 2 point conversion, and weather the impending onslaught.
Clearly some third party is to blame for Pinecrest Football’s state playoff ban. First they tampered with the official game camera, rendering Pinecrest’s film unreadable. Then, with the help of some video experts, they managed to doctor their own cell-phone-video and send it to the NCHSAA.
It’s a strange world,
Good Luck Pinecrest!
nm43 1 year, 8 months ago
@concussionmakesyoustronger127 clearly you are a pincrest fan nothing wrong with that but there are ethics and one does not get"brownypoints" for beating 3a and 2a teams. I watched the viseo and the clear hothead was #25 who after getting tackled legally and had he had his helmet been strapped tighter it would not have came off. He jumps up and shoves number 57 from UP so PHS still don't get it they should be teaching restaint and sportsmanship. UP also has its issues to conyend with its a sad casemaybe the youth of today will learn a lesson from this.
member 1 year, 8 months ago
@ Concussions--You are quite the funny one. The football class is alive and well (although not called "football class") & there are no immediate plans for a soccer stadium...I checked with some that are "in the know" at PHS. I hope no one takes your word as truth, because you're pretty far off. It was funny though!
theonewithsense 1 year, 8 months ago
there are definitely talks going on with regards to soccer fields, your in-the-know friends must not know much.
BullyDad 1 year, 8 months ago
I saw the video of the "Bench clearing brawl" posted on WRAL. It is clear to me that when this pushing match broke out there was NO Official between the players. This caused the shoving to spread and all things considered, it looked like a typical High School Football Shoving Match. I could see a couple of unsportsmanlike penalties coming out of this but 6 players ejected, Overkill. And to have either school banned from post season, REDICULOUIS. The video shows most players involved were on the field. This was a kick off and the play had been blown dead, this is when the regular offense and defense take the field. Most of both teams benches were still on the sideline (check the video). So much for a bench clearing brawl. You can also see where all the official are, NONE were on the line of contact between the two teams during the kickoff, and none got between the two player where the shoving started. That is why other players step in to protect their team mates. Remember, this is FOOTBALL. One other thing, the annual game between the two schools is titled "THE BATTLE OF THE PINES" what else could you expect from the player than a BATTLE. The officials should expect it and should call the game accordingly. That should also be quick to step in when tempers fly. This did not appear to happen and it has cost both schools greatly. The NCHSAA should look at the officials in this contest. The player did what football player do, Play FOOTBALL.
member 1 year, 8 months ago
There have been "talks" for years...Nothing has been done about it, and they aren't much closer now than they were when talks first began.
patriot4life 1 year, 8 months ago
@mn43 How does a member of the kickoff team get tackled legally?
patriot4life 1 year, 8 months ago
sorry, that was directed towards nm43
nm43 1 year, 8 months ago
@patriot4life it was legal so you r telling me that tackling is not legal. did you watch the game or the video. So you are saying that in this process no one is supposed to get tackled. I thought this game was about tackling and touchdowns. A player was tackled as he was going in and the tackle was so hard it knocked his helmet off. I definitely seen that before. What transpired next was that the young man jumped up and commenced to shoving number 57 from UP. Tell me in your world how was that play was supposed to go?
patriot4life 1 year, 8 months ago
to nm43 Have you ever watched football? The guy with the ball is the one who is supposed to get tackled. If we started tackling everyone on the field it would be called wrestling and Vince McMahon would be ringside. You can't tackle someone who doesn't have the ball. Period! Do you know what a block is? Do offensive linemen block or tackle? Does a fullback block or tackle? What does the defense do? Let me guess, they block right? Watch a game and get a clue.
nm43 1 year, 8 months ago
@patriot4life I got a clue well lets say #25 was blocked o well and I know its not wrestling smarty pants I know the difference in blocking and tackling this is not so much about football knowlege its about COMMON SENSE and the love of the game. So stop complaining about PHS and UP allow the chips to fall where they may and move on with your life. You may be a patriot for life but they are not perfect allow children to be children and if there are reprocussions for actions then that is what it is. Grow up get a life and leave the football playing to the actual players.