In October, a high school football game in Georgia was marred by a violent, bloody brawl, and, apparently, the bad blood between the two schools doesn't stop on the gridiron.
Warren County High has chosen to forfeit all of its post-season berths to avoid any playoff matchups with rival Hancock High. What has brought this to light is a Yahoo! article that tells us that the Warren County boys' basketball team isn't happy about the decision. They wanted to prove they could play their game without incident, hoping there wouldn't be a repeat of the messy melee vs. Hancock 4 months ago that left WCHS coach David Daniel needing major surgery after being bludgeoned by a Hancock player's helmet. However, the Warren County School District, fearing for the safety of their student-athletes and fans, tried in vain to move their team to another sectional bracket, but were turned down. Left with no other choice outside of playing Hancock, WCHS opted for a forfeit. Not just in basketball, mind you, but in all sports.
It's an unprecedented step, borne out of violence, bloodshed, and, as noted, fear. You never see this sort of thing in any schools anywhere else. It won't solve the problems between Warren County & Hancock, though. What if the two schools are scheduled to meet in football again this fall? What happens then? That is left up to the officials of the two districts to settle between now and the start of the next school year. By then, in all probability, the people largely responsible for the October incident will be long gone, and then they can start with clean slates.
Well, we can hope.
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