Students face suspension after post-game brawl

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This article was published 20/09/2024 (381 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A homecoming football game ended in chaos Thursday night after a fight between fans broke out on the field.

Winnipeg Police Service spokesperson Const. Dani McKinnon said several police cruisers were called to Dakota Collegiate around 9 p.m. about a scuffle after a high school game between the Dakota Lancers and Grant Park Pirates.

It was the first home game of the season at Dakota, which included a pre-game ceremony and post-game fireworks for the 1,500 fans in attendance.

It was the first meeting between the two teams since last year’s Winnipeg High School Football League championship where the Lancers defeated the Pirates 28-7.

After the Lancers won Thursday’s contest 58-0, the stadium’s lights were turned off for the fireworks display. That’s when a melee broke out.

One Dakota parent at the game with her two children said she saw a group of youths yelling at each other on the field.

“All you heard was screaming, yelling and people saying, “stop don’t do it’ and more teens took off,” said the parent, who asked not to be named.

She said about 20 teens were involved in the fracas.

“It was nuts.”

McKinnon said special duty officers hired by Dakota Collegiate to monitor the event were already on site before backup was called after someone mentioned a weapon in the crowd.

“It was a large crowd of (young) people. I think they were all shouting out different things, people were yelling at each other,” McKinnon said. “It was pretty short lived.”

There were no reported assaults or injuries. No arrests were made.

Winnipeg High School Football League commissioner Jeffrey Bannon said no players were involved in the tussle and no penalties to either team are expected.

Louis Riel School Division superintendent Christian Michalik said the school and division are investigating the incident and have already identified some students involved, who are facing suspension and other disciplinary action.

“It’s regrettable, regrettable that it happened,” Michalik said. “Thankfully, no one was hurt and those involved will be held to account.”

The football-brawl is a first for Dakota, the superintendent said.

“We’re going to see what we’ve learned from this event to ensure that the lessons are learned, and we do what we need to to avoid this repeating itself,” Michalik said.

Winnipeg School Division superintendent Matt Henderson said, to his knowledge, no Grant Park students were involved in the skirmish and no discipline is expected.

“We still don’t like people bopping at each other at any kind of event,” Henderson said. “I’m just concerned that where there are students having a good time that there would be something like that happening.”

The Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association is also investigating the incident.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca