Brawl ends Lakeland-Kathleen game, and possibly Lakeland's season

[Longtime Observer]

A terrible, one-win Kathleen team wasn't going to win, or score any points last night. With a running-clock underway and Lakeland ahead 37-0, a scuffle between a Lakeland OL and a Kathleen defender launched a full brawl where lots of punches were thrown. IMO, the Lakeland OL may have been guilty of a personal foul, but the whole matter blew up when another Kathleen player charged after said OL and basically attacked him. The OL fought back. Someone, maybe the same OL, had a Kathleen player on the ground and appeared to be beating the shit out of some Kathleen player.  There was much action that is hard to make out. Then, something easy to make out was #5 for Lakeland appearing to be pushed hit, and then "wilding" (throwing a lot of punches). Kathleen's season is coming to a merciful end. Some of their players involved may well be seniors who won't be affected by this. But, the Lakeland OL and #5 are starters, as are many others involved. If some four game suspensions are handed down, that's exclusively playoff football.

 

 

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The first link allows you to view how the scuffle began, then things are hard to see. The second link gives a much better view of the brawl.

Start watching with 5:00 remaining in video

2nd video  

[Longtime Observer]

#76 for Lakeland, another starter on the OL, also threw a punch. So, one has to figure two starters on the OL will be done for the season. 

[DarterBlue2]

This is unfortunate. I am not sure what else to say. 

[SportsFan]

3 hours ago, DarterBlue2 said:

This is unfortunate. I am not sure what else to say. 

The rule of thumb is teams that know their season is over will sometimes try this in rivalries

One it shows that maybe rivalry matchups shouldn't happen this late in the season and two Lakeland should have known better but I guess they chose to engage and allow themselves to potentially cost themselves a chance to make a run and now any team who beats them in the playoffs will be "well if Lakeland didn't get into a fight and have players suspended they would have won"

In reality it just shows a lack of discipline and shows that if they can't win in the playoffs they just weren't good enough to win state anyway 

[DarterBlue2]

26 minutes ago, SportsFan said:

In reality it just shows a lack of discipline and shows that if they can't win in the playoffs they just weren't good enough to win state anyway 

That may be a little harsh. 4S has multiple teams that could win the state title. 

[SportsFan]

51 minutes ago, DarterBlue2 said:

That may be a little harsh. 4S has multiple teams that could win the state title. 

Maybe but I'm certainly not gonna give them the benefit of the doubt because they chose to clear their benches for a brawl with a 1 win team 

Ik some will use this as an excuse for why they lose in the playoffs and that's not fair to the team their season ends against because the other team could control themselves and not get into a fight right before the playoffs

[SportsFan]

It's like when a CFB team sits a bunch of starters in a bowl game then wants to claim "well if we played in the regular season with our players all playing we would have won easily"

It's up to the team to be ready and if they do something self destructive to cost their team to not be at full strength for the playoffs/bowl games they only have themselves to blame for it

[DarterBlue2]

11 minutes ago, SportsFan said:

Maybe but I'm certainly not gonna give them the benefit of the doubt because they chose to clear their benches for a brawl with a 1 win team 

Ik some will use this as an excuse for why they lose in the playoffs and that's not fair to the team their season ends against because the other team could control themselves and not get into a fight right before the playoffs

Under their long time, legendary HBC, this probably would not have happened. Voids are sometimes hard to fill even when the Xs and Os and the talent is still there. 

[SportsFan]

6 minutes ago, DarterBlue2 said:

Under their long time, legendary HBC, this probably would not have happened. Voids are sometimes hard to fill even when the Xs and Os and the talent is still there. 

That's a valid and likely accurate assessment, obviously idk enough about the current staff to make a judge on how things are run now compared to before but at the end of the day if a team does something that costs them several players they have nobody but themselves to blame for it, can't be doing this right before the playoffs even if the other team started it

[SportsFan]

Lakeland may have the talent to compete in 4S but you gotta be disciplined enough to not give yourself self inflicted wounds right before the playoffs with stuff like that 

[DarterBlue2]

14 minutes ago, SportsFan said:

That's a valid and likely accurate assessment, obviously idk enough about the current staff to make a judge on how things are run now compared to before but at the end of the day if a team does something that costs them several players they have nobody but themselves to blame for it, can't be doing this right before the playoffs even if the other team started it

I believe most of their staff are still intact. But I am not close to the program so I don't know. But even if that's true, being a very good coordinator or assistant does not always translate into being in charge. The tone always begins at the top and what happened should not have occurred. 

[Jullian]

12 hours ago, DarterBlue2 said:

Under their long time, legendary HBC, this probably would not have happened. Voids are sometimes hard to fill even when the Xs and Os and the talent is still there. 

That was gonna b my post! If Castle was on the sideline, maybe the couple players that got in the initial scuffle woulda went at it, but I guarantee you it WOULD HAVE ENDED THERE! When players don’t fear their coach(respect&fear), they gonna do what they want! 

FURTHER MORE, in a rival game, especially with your opponent having a crap season, WHAT COACH doesn’t warn his players of that potential & WARN them if any punches thrown, in your selfishness, you’re off the team. 
I’ve heard Coach Smith, STA, more than once tell his players that! 

[Perspective]

Were disqualifications/ejections announced?  I'm pretty sure that fighting results in disqualification.  I guess it's up to the officials to determine at what point a situation escalates from 'post-play pushing and shoving' to fighting.  But if a player gets ejected for fighting, absent relief from the FHSAA Exec. Dir., that player is looking at a 5-game suspension.   And I think the same thing applies to any players who leave the bench to participate in an altercation.  There were several Lakeland players who did this.  They may have been subs or, by that point of the game, they may have been starters who already had been pulled from the game and given the rest of the night off.  Well, they may get the rest of the season off now.  No question that several players left the bench area.  And no question that multiple Lakeland players can be seen throwing punches.  All of those players could be done for the season.  With all that in mind, I'll return to the question I have raised multiple times:  why do guys on a football field throw punches at the heads/faces of guys wearing hard plastic helmets with face-masks? 

[Dan in Daytona]

Not to play devil's advocate, although I do enjoy a little chaos, anyway Lakeland's state legislator gets that body's attention and for the sake of argument makes this a "boys will be boys" episode to be treated as such, with good ole boy slaps on the back, and it magically goes away. Stranger things have happened when Tallahassee has been involved.  

[Ray Icaza]

27 minutes ago, Dan in Daytona said:

Not to play devil's advocate, although I do enjoy a little chaos, anyway Lakeland's state legislator gets that body's attention and for the sake of argument makes this a "boys will be boys" episode to be treated as such, with good ole boy slaps on the back, and it magically goes away. Stranger things have happened when Tallahassee has been involved.  

Not sure why, but that thought actually popped into my head also. 

[Dan in Daytona]

1 minute ago, Ray Icaza said:

Not sure why, but that thought actually popped into my head also. 

That's cause you know "good ole boys" too.   

[Ray Icaza]

4 minutes ago, Dan in Daytona said:

That's cause you know "good ole boys" too.   

Guess those who know me could categorize me as one, but the values I was raised with would never stoop to what you just described.   Plus, I suppose in today's environment a Kelli Stargell could "IDENTIFY" as one also. 

[Dan in Daytona]

Just now, Ray Icaza said:

Guess those who know me could categorize me as one, but the values I was raised with would never stoop to what you just described. 

Same here, but like yourself, I've lived here most of my life. Seen it, know it, but never condoned it.

[Perspective]

For anyone who was there:

1.  Did the officials end the game after the altercation?  The video seems to end with both teams being told to head to opposite end zones. 

2.  If the officials chose to simply end the game, would there have been any need to eject players?   (Like when a MLB manager comes out to argue the final out of a game and then gets ejected from a game that already is over).  If the officials decided that ejections would be a moot point, can/will the FHSAA still review the video?

3.  Were any ejections announced?  If so, how many?

4.  If memory serves me correct, the schools involved have an obligation to report to the FHSAA any players who were involved in unsportsmanlike acts (or maybe just the ones that resulted in disqualification, I'm not sure) and they have to do it very soon thereafter (like by the following day).   I wonder if Lakeland did this?

Anyone?

[Longtime Observer]

The game was called at the fight. Lakeland has been negotiating with Kathleen on a resolution, will also report to FHSAA.

I definitely don't mean to make excuses for Lakeland. 

[DarterBlue2]

52 minutes ago, Longtime Observer said:

The game was called at the fight. Lakeland has been negotiating with Kathleen on a resolution, will also report to FHSAA.

I definitely don't mean to make excuses for Lakeland. 

I don't see your comments in this thread as making excuses for Lakeland. An unfortunate event occurred which may impact them in a negative way. I think the entire staff needs to look at this and probably make changes to the way in which they communicate with the athletes.

What's past is past, but Lakeland certainly cannot afford to make this a regular occurrence and the kids that wear the Orange, Black and White need to have that drilled into their heads.  

[Jambun82]

8 hours ago, Perspective said:

For anyone who was there:

1.  Did the officials end the game after the altercation?  The video seems to end with both teams being told to head to opposite end zones. 

2.  If the officials chose to simply end the game, would there have been any need to eject players?   (Like when a MLB manager comes out to argue the final out of a game and then gets ejected from a game that already is over).  If the officials decided that ejections would be a moot point, can/will the FHSAA still review the video?

3.  Were any ejections announced?  If so, how many?

4.  If memory serves me correct, the schools involved have an obligation to report to the FHSAA any players who were involved in unsportsmanlike acts (or maybe just the ones that resulted in disqualification, I'm not sure) and they have to do it very soon thereafter (like by the following day).   I wonder if Lakeland did this?

Anyone?

The situation will be handled the way that the FHSAA sees fit. You won't be consulted, so there is no need for you to concern yourself Pinstripes.

[Jambun82]

9 hours ago, Ray Icaza said:

Guess those who know me could categorize me as one, but the values I was raised with would never stoop to what you just described.   Plus, I suppose in today's environment a Kelli Stargell could "IDENTIFY" as one also. 

The blue and gold team who spells a word an unusual way gets plenty of transfers, man whom I agree with on several issues. 

[DarterBlue2]

21 minutes ago, Jambun82 said:

The situation will be handled the way that the FHSAA sees fit. You won't be consulted, so there is no need for you to concern yourself Pinstripes.

 

14 minutes ago, Jambun82 said:

The blue and gold team who spells a word an unusual way gets plenty of transfers, man whom I agree with on several issues. 

You are an autocrat both in word and deed. I thank God you are not in a position of power and authority outside the high school gridiron. 

[Jambun82]

44 minutes ago, DarterBlue2 said:

 

You are an autocrat both in word and deed. I thank God you are not in a position of power and authority outside the high school gridiron. 

Thank you for another great compliment, DarterBlue2!