Postgame scene at Sacramento High after loss prompts concerns about football field security
Vacaville High School postponed its girls flag football game at Sacramento Charter High School from Monday to Thursday after administrators and coaches from the Solano County school expressed concern about a lack of security for a sporting event that took place Saturday in Oak Park and was capped by chaos.
The Bulldogs football team played at Sacramento High in a Monticello Empire League contest that went to the wire. There was confusion on whether or not the host Dragons had a timeout remaining as time was running out, and the referees determined that they did not. They signaled that time had expired with Sacramento’s last effort had stalled at the Vacaville 1-yard line.
Vacaville secured a 21-14 victory, and angry Dragons fans got onto the field, without any barriers to prevent such a crunch, which is generally required to prevent incidents like this. A Dragons player threw punches at Vacaville players, and some Sacramento parents and adult fans expressed anger, some of it laced with vulgarity, about how the game ended. Players rushed to pull teammates away from the action, as did players and parents, witnesses said and shaky cell video clips showed.
Vacaville principal Adam Wight said his school “did the right thing to postpone the flag football game” that would have been held on the same grass field. But he added late Tuesday afternoon that he was pleased with a meeting with head football coach Mike Papadopoulos and members of the Sac High administration and athletic department at the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section office in Elk Grove to help problem-solve.
“The section office offered to support and help Sacramento High on this, fan access, and Sacramento High recognized that this is a challenging place to host games,” Wight said, referencing a lack of barriers between fans and field. “We know their community takes a ton of pride in sports. We don’t want it where adults and people can’t come to events. We needed to think this out. It was a good meeting.”
Vacaville is a charter member of the MEL, a decades-long sports power across the board. Sacramento is a first-time member of the MEL, having been realigned into that conference through the urging of school administrators for a change of pace as they seek to rebuild or restart varsity sports. The Dragons field 12 varsity teams (most schools have between 24 and 26 varsity programs).
Papadopoulos said he had a short meeting with Sacramento High coaches after the game, without incident, and with one of them expressing remorse for the scene in general as the host school. The football coach added that the addition of Sacramento High is a boost for the MEL, including in high-profile sports such as football and basketball.
None hurt; player who punched ‘will be punished’
Wight said no referees from the football games had sent in paperwork regarding player conduct. Players are subject to game suspensions of up to three games, per CIF governing body policy — or longer if they engage in fighting, even after games.
Dragons coach Kimbbie Drayton said “no one was hurt” and that players and coaches broke up any fights before it became a real scene. He said player emotions were “running high” and that the referees had left the scene by the time his player threw a punch.
The coach added of that player, “He will be punished by me and the school.”
Section commissioner Mike Garrison said Vacaville and Sacramento coaches and administrators will go over film to see if they need to discipline any players for post-game fighting and forward their findings to his office.
Garrison told The Bee, “It’s unfortunate what occurred, and Sacramento High took complete ownership (of a security breakdown). We had a great meeting with the two schools, and everyone is on the same page. Everyone felt good after the meeting. Sac High acknowledged game-management concerns with people having access to the field, and they’re working with people in our office to make sure those issues are resolved. We’re happy that both groups were open to corroboration and communication.”
Garrison added, “The behavior of a select few, either Vacaville or Sacramento, doesn’t dictate the entire community of either school. Sacramento High holds it sports in high regard, and they are just as frustrated that fans went on the field like that. They don’t want to be portrayed in a bad light. These are new relationships (as first-time league members) and they’re trying to form and develop and foster good relations and being on the same page.”
Garrison said fan and spectator behavior remains a concern for CIF schools, the emotions of games spilling over. It’s been a concern at two Sheldon High games in the Elk Grove Unified School District this season, including last week.
This story was originally published October 23, 2024 at 12:10 PM.