Brawl mars Lake City’s upset win over Wilson
ANGELA E. KERSHNER/MORNING NEWS
Lake City’s Stevenson Gatson (12) breaks a tackle by Wilson defensive back Devarius Wheeler, bottom, and slips past linebacker Craig Brown on Thursday at Memorial Stadium. Lake City won 19-12.
Published: August 29, 2008
Updated: September 2, 2008
FLORENCE — Wilson’s first game since winning the state championship last season had an ugly ending as the Tigers and Lake City brawled on the field as soon as the clock ran out Thursday night at Memorial Stadium.
The Panthers ended the game by kneeling on the ball to seal a 19-12 win, but before Lake City even had time to celebrate, nearly every player from both teams was on the field fighting.
JOINT STATEMENT
Florence School Districts 1 and 3 Friday morning released this statement on the incident:
District officials with Florence School District One and Florence County School District Three are cooperating with law enforcement and the South Carolina High School League in their investigation into an altercation between football players from Wilson High School and Lake City High School at the conclusion of a game between the two teams on Thursday, August 28.
Both districts are conducting their own investigation to determine which players were responsible for starting and escalating the altercation. Any players found to be involved in the altercation will face disciplinary action pursuant to their respective district’s student behavior code.
“We both (Beth Wright, Florence Three Superintendent and I) are saddened by the actions demonstrated by players on both teams,” said Florence School District One Superintendent Larry Jackson. “We do not condone unsportsmanlike conduct at our athletic events, and we want everyone to be aware that it will not be tolerated.”
ADDITIONAL CONTENT
The Wilson Tigers take on the Lake City Panthers at Memorial Stadium in Florence on Thursday, August 28, 2008. Click here to view images from this game.
At least one player from each team was detained and handcuffed by Florence County Sheriff’s Office deputies.
The fight happened shortly after Panthers’ defensive end Donquill McElveen lay motionless on the field for about 15 minutes before being carted off by paramedics.
Lake City offensive line coach Brandon Shealy, the only coach from either team who would comment after the game, said McElveen was taken to a local hospital after suffering a bruised back.
McElveen’s injury happened on a play in which Wilson quarterback Maliek McCall threw a 14-yard pass to Caleb Davis, but McElveen was at least 20 yards behind where the play ended. Shealy said McElveen was “speared in the back with a helmet.”
“There was no call (from the officials), but hey, that’s fine,” Shealy said. “He’s OK. That’s the most important thing.”
Play resumed with 5:41 left in the game, but Wilson could not mount a comeback.
Shealy said the fight was not an act of retaliation for McElveen’s injury, rather it was the result of two former region rivals meeting in Week One.
“No, not at all,” he said about retaliation being a factor. “This is an all-time rivalry right here.”
Several players sucker-punched others who were on the ground, and some used their helmets to beat opposing players. Coaches, game officials and deputies broke the brawl up after nearly five minutes of fighting.
No players were injured, but one coach was taken to a local hospital for minor injuries, Lt. Brett Camp told WBTW.
Deputies were told some of the Wilson players were upset about the loss, which led to some of those players spitting on Lake City players and throwing their helmets at them, Camp said.
The sheriff’s office is investigating the incident, Camp said.
As for the game itself, Lake City took a 12-6 lead into the fourth quarter against the defending 3A state champions.
The Panthers extended that lead to 19-6 after tailback Jonathan Hudson scored on a 56-yard run with 8:34 left in the game.
Wilson made it a one-possession game with a 2-yard touchdown pass from McCall to John Israel with 4:45 left, but Lake City held off the Tigers.
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Reader Reactions
to big6178, i am a student at LCHS and ur complaint about the team not being able to park in the stadium is true we dont allow teams to park inside the stadium. and at JV games neither team gets a Locker room and the thing about the players behind the other team so what, its football trash talkin is part of the game if you dont like it dont go, if u thought that was bad get out on the field. there is bad blood between these 2 schools but the administrators will look over the situation and make the correct decisions unless they r stupid. but if you look atthe situation logically wilson defending state champions looking to repeat and thinking they can walk over LC. so naturally afterthe game they would be ticked off. i do not support fighting that is ridiculous you should have enough control who ever started it should be punished whether its us or them. but i cant believe one of our coaches would hit a kid you cant convince me of that. but i guess u just move on and take precautions in the next games. b/c if we do play again this will become one of the great rivalries in the area
I am a sophmore at Lake City and I mean we are a good school I mean yeah we might yell and talk trash but who don’t and by the way there D-LINE jumped us so we didn’t start it and as far as Coach Gentre goes he would never fight a teenager, I mean the man is a christian, he goes to my church so I know.
Falcons, exactly how many kids were spit on? The one Lake City kid who was jumped after the game by 3 or 4 Wilson players must have had a mouthful of spit. To add to that he must have also have some great spit control since his back was turned when the first kid grabbed him as he was walking to midfield. With all four players jumping on him he must have some rapidfire spit. Its hilarious that Wilson fans have the guts to even mention unsportsmanlike conduct after the way their kids acted all game.
Save the stupid excuses yall messed up and are now looking for ways out of it. Awfully tough to spit on someone a few yards away through a facemask. Yall boys need to come up with a better story for this one.
well im a player from wilson i was there to see the whole thing lake city is a good team no doubt but when we were about to congradulate them they took kindness for weakness and did a very disrestful thing which is spit in out faces, anybody who spits in another persons face should be punished and we took our actions towards that it was wrong for us to fight but you have to look on the other side of the card board and see that lake city did something wrong at that when they an unsportsmanlike conduct, anyway i hope we still get to play for a state title even another game in a season. but i would like to apologize on the teams behalf for any disruptions that has been conducted on the field thursday night and thank you
Since when did a coach breaking up a fight by separating kids become “fighting the kids?“ A coach peels kids apart and a kid starts swinging and then the kids boys all jump on the coach yet you people accuse the coach of fighting?? Are you stupid or just that deadset on finding a hole the Wilson kids can wiggle through? Two coaches were injured last night and both were in the process of pulling kids apart. One coach gets his leg broke and another gets bashed with a helmet to the head. Yup, really sounds like the coaches were fighting there. What about the Wilson coach who knocked Lake City kids off their feet? Is he fighting too or just trying to restore order in a crazy situation? Yall blaming the coaches for trying to settle down a small number of kids who were out of hand. Most of the teams were not doing anything but both teams had a handful that needed to be stopped. You people want to blame those coaches? Yall need to get a grip. None of those coaches threw punches but they all took plenty from a few kids who dont need to be playing anymore.
Sad for all participants and both schools.
The incident that happen was a bad ending a great game played by both teams. The officials and the coaches of both teams should have addressed all the trash talking that took place during the game and a lot of the late hits both teams were doing. I do feel that the Wilson Tiger football team didn’t come into game repecting the Lake City football team by thinking that it was going to be another easy victory over a team that they felt they were superior than. The lost did bother the Wilson players who didn’t take there defeat gracefully. When you are the champs you are going to get every teams best. Lake City was just the better team on that night.
If you wasn’t on the field you need to stay out of this. You are dumb as all the people that come for Laky City. Yes the coach from Lake City was fighting the player. Yes there was people come off the benchs because the were going to shake hands. Yes there was a fight but this has been building for two year now. Kids will be kids you would know that if you have kids or are you on of the player #34. You tell that soory thing called a coach hit an adult next time then he will find how really act.
To football34, not only did I see what happened so did other people. I’m not positive on whether you know how to use context clues or not, maybe that is not taught over there, but I never said that I was an Administrator from Wilson. I did not graduate from Wilson nor work there; as a matter of fact I didn’t graduate from a Florence School. I am looking at this situation from an unbiased point. For clarity on “Willing Participant” that means one who does not seek intervention; is that simplified enough? We teach “Character”, but it is imperative that the parents reiterate this at home, and it is obvious this is something you do not do.
Does it matter who stared the fight, that sounds “Elementary” the issue is that a fight occurred, and consequences will be rendered. From your conversation it seems as though your comments are prevaricated. You are looking at it from the objective of who started it, is this message you want to send your child; it’s ok because he started it. If a fight was happening in the streets, it could be a plethora of reasons why it started, and a Law Enforcement Officer saw it, would he ask who started it and take one person to jail “NO.” I don’t know how it works were you stay, but where civilized people reside the “LAW” applies to everyone.
Everyone has an opinion. The facts are that the fight never should have happened. I definitely think that Wilson should no longer play Lake City. The paper made a misprint by stateing that one of Wilson’s players spit on a Lake City player. I am a parent of an eight quarter player from Wilson so I was in Lake City Wednesday night and at the game Thursday night. Lake City showed Wilson no respect when Wilson’s Junior Varsity went to Lake City to play. They would not allow Wilson’s bus to park in the stadium, they did not provide a locker room for the players, and the people at the gate were rude. When Lake City came to Florence they were shown hospitality. Also a coach from Lake City a GROWN MAN fought a child during the brawl. If anything THAT is unacceptable and inexcusable. At the JV game Lake City’s players sat behind Wilson’s JV players on our sideline and taunted the players on the sideline. Why weren’t those players on the home side supporting their team; if that is what they came out there for. My biggest complant with Wilson right now is that they allowed themselves to stoop to Lake City’s level. If you are going to be a champion conduct yourselves as champions both on and off the field. I sure hope that this is the last of this “rivalry” between Wilson and Lake City. To the Tigers I end with this, “When you are on top people will try to bring you down.“ And obviously people will go to any lengths to knock you down even if it takes spitting on players, swinging helmets, or childish coaches fighting players. Congratulations on the win Lake City now lets work on character. They say, “A team is a reflection of their coach.“ If Lake City’s coaches will fight players you’d almost expect this type of behavior from their players.
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