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A high school football team in New Jersey will be forced to play its next game without nearly 50% of its roster. A huge brawl led to a mass suspension.
A technicality will allow the squad to continue competing in the state playoffs. Still, it will have an uphill battle in its next outing.
Paulsboro High School went 8-1 in the regular season to land a postseason bid. Seven of those eight wins came by double digits.
That success continued with a 38-0 shellacking of Woodbury in the opening round of the playoffs. Unfortunately, a late game spat erupted in the final minutes. It will have a major impact moving forward.
High school football brawl mars playoff win.
Paulsboro handled business in its first game. Emotions got the best of the Red Raiders as the contest came to a close.
A melee broke out as a result of a late hit to Paulsboro quarterback Malakhai McKenzie. A scuffle on the sidelines trickled onto the field.
Due to the brawl, the game was called with just under five minutes left in regulation. Players from both sides received harsh punishment. Four suspensions were handed down to Woodbury. Those penalties will be served next season.
Paulsboro, meanwhile, will see 16 players suspended for its next playoff game. That number accounts for nearly half of the 34-man roster.
The NJSIAA has released a statement on the decision:
Late Saturday, NJSIAA learned that the Paulsboro–Woodbury football game had been terminated with approximately four minutes remaining and Paulsboro leading 38–0. An altercation broke out along the Paulsboro sideline which escalated onto the field. Video review confirmed that multiple Paulsboro players engaged in fighting and left the bench area, along with several from Woodbury.
As required by NJSIAA rules, any player engaged in fighting or leaving the bench area during an altercation is disqualified. Based on the review, 16 Paulsboro players and 4 Woodbury players, to date, have been identified for disqualification and will be subject to a 1-game sit.
A technicality will allow Paulsboro to continue its season.
Sports Illustrated reports that had the fight come during a regular season game, both sides would’ve been barred from the high school football playoffs.
If the incident had happened in the regular season, both Paulsboro and Woodbury would face playoff exclusion, as teams with three or more disqualifications are barred from postseason play. This regulation excludes playoff ejections.
That rule does not apply to postseason competition. Paulsboro will be allowed to continue its playoff run.
The task gets much tougher in the second round. Not only with the Red Raiders be without 47% of its roster, but it will face a Schalick team that played close in their most recent meeting.
Paulsboro beat the Cougars 6-0 in early October. They’ll look to repeat that performance next time out.