ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - St. Mary's Southside High School began the fourth quarter trailing Hazelwood East High School 14-6 on Sept. 1. 54 seconds of game clock later, the score would remain final.
Nothing on the field dictated the outcome of the game, but rather an incident from a turn of events off the field did. A large brawl broke out in the stands of the game that led to St. Mary's officials to call the game early.
The incident at St. Mary's Southside High School is just one of many incidents of off the field violence that has happened throughout the high school gridiron in the St. Louis-area in the first month of the season.
Ritenour's High School season opening contest against Pattonville High School had to abandon their game early in the second half after rumors started swirling around the stands that someone attending the game brought a firearm and shots were fired during the game.
Pattonville School District superintendent, Barry Nelson, however said that after working with police carefully, no real gunshots had been fired at the event.
Alton High School in Illinois had to restrict their home opener on Sept. 1st against Quincy High School to only family members after several fights on campus that also forced the school to cancel class the Thursday before the game.
Vashon High School had to forfeit their season-opening contest against Cardinal Ritter after fights broke out at Vashon that led to threats being made and St. Louis Public School officials felt that the safest course of action was to postpone the game.
Missouri State High School Athletic Association (MSHSAA) communication director Jason West says that it is a tough decision for the many school officials to call off or restrict games, saying it is not easy to cancel a high school football due to the weekly rhythm the season follows.
"If you are looking at a schedule, and they try to balance the two schedules, it could be cumbersome especially if you are very low on resources in the transportation department," said West.
Many schools have attempted to implement regulations to create a safer environment on Friday nights, with some safety measures include implementing a clear bag policy, requiring attendees over 18-years-old to show ID, and requiring any kids not affiliated with the school to have adult supervision.
However, do not expect MSHSAA to implement it on a side wide level.
"We don't want to put a blanket statement out across the state that ' ok because of this situation, we're playing games at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning or stuff like that," said West.
West however says that MSHSAA applauds how school officials are handling the situations.
"In regards to not only the safety of the students on the field, but also fans, parents, in the stands, know that school administrators will continue to take those issues seriously and they will provide the safest environments as possible," said West.