It’s not a movie. But thanks to a recent brawl, football games at Millville High School might as well be rated PG-13.
The fight between two middle school girls behind the bleachers escalated into a larger disturbance that involved a crowd of kids during Millville's home game against St. Joseph's last Friday.
“It was chaos,” said Millville High School student Karon Tindal.
“Everyone just hoarded around the fight,” said fellow student Brandon Valentin.
“Then the police came and brought the dogs,” said Tindal.
“One of the questions that just popped up is who’s supervising all the kids that are around,” said Millville High School Athletic Director David Lagamba.
Due to the violent incident Millville High is implementing new rules starting Friday night, aimed at keeping the focus on football during home games. Children in eighth grade or below are no longer allowed to go to games without a parent or guardian.
“I think it’s a good idea,” said Millville student Abigail Matias. “They should have an adult with them because if they’re going to act like little kids then they should have somebody with them.”
High school students also won’t be admitted unless they show a school ID or class schedule. The kids will be checked twice, once at the ticket booths and again as they enter the stadium, to make sure they’re in compliance with the new rules.
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“We’re seeing our crowds get larger and larger,” said Lagamba. “We just want to make sure we’re providing a safe atmosphere for all of our attendees.”
The same policies also apply to fans of visiting teams. NBC10 found few complaints from Millville High School students.
“I think it’s appropriate and I like it a lot,” said Valentin. “You can’t have immature, young kids running around and starting stuff when we’re supposed to watch a football game.”
