Brawl mars Lake City's upset win over Wilson

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.