Mk#11,
I was watching the game, and what I saw was unconscionable.
I am not a Bishop England hater, as you have inferred. Both of my boys attended Catholic school and almost went to Bishop England, but the drive was too far.
With respect to the first altercation, the play was most definitely clean, as I stated. It was unfortunate that the Barnwell player broke his foot in the play and I sincerely hope the injury is not career ending and he recovers well.
With regard to the second altercation, the BE keeper took exception to the rough play on behalf of the Barnwell player. As a result, he made the “Wrong Decision” and while holding the ball, extended both arms into the body of the Barnwell player. Albeit the foul can be interpreted differently, the referee made the correct call, 1 Red / 1 Yellow.
As for the melee that ultimately tarnished the game of soccer. Let me say, that I have witnessed this in football, baseball, and hockey. But, I have never witnessed poor sportsmanship to this degree in soccer. Anyone who attempts to belittle the event should reevaluate their interpretation of the “Gentleman’s Game” of soccer. By the way, the foul to which I was referring to occurred minutes prior to the fight. I forget sometimes that some people cannot see beyond a single event and as such, I will try to explain it. The Barnwell player was taking the space and the BE midfielder fouled him to stop his advance. The mannerisms of the Barnwell player after that foul indicated to me that he would retaliate, “Wrong Decision”. In less than a minute, he got his chance and fouled the BE midfielder who was advancing and grabbed his shirt, pulled him down. This is when the BE player made the “Wrong Decision”. Instead of walking away, he decided that it would be better to kick and punch the other player. During the fight, the referees and coaches were so busy trying to break up both teams that many other incidents were missed.
In the end, it was a horrible event for both teams, both schools, and for South Carolina soccer. More importantly, I sincerely hope that the young people in attendance do not believe that this type of behavior is acceptable and I pray that their parents explain this to them and attempt to preserve the game.
Finally, the defining statement behind the South Carolina High School League is;
"An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules..."
If you are attending or have attended Bishop England, then you have the intelligence to realize how far-reaching this statement can be.
Good Luck to both Waccamaw and Bishop England in the Lower State Championship and let's get back to the game....
