An Ohio high school football game in Dayton was called in the first half when a player from one tam headbutted a referee after a confrontation over a penalty during the season opener for both teams.
Roger Bacon High School (Cincinnati, Ohio) won the shortened game at Dayton’s Dunbar High School after officials called off the second half. The decision to end the game was made when an unidentified Dunbar player headbutted an official on the field.
Via Dayton Daily News:
“Dunbar was down 23-8 with seven minutes left in the first half against Roger Bacon when the player head-butted a referee after it looks like the player had been ejected from the game. The player was wearing a helmet when the assault happened.
Dunbar had been called for three unsportsmanlike penalties that night, prior to the assault. Following the head-butt, the referees called the game and both team exited the field.”
Roger Bacon head coach Mike Blaut told The Enquirer:
“The penalty that made the kid mad was their 12th penalty already,” Blaut told the Enquirer. “They were marking off the ball, half the distance to the goal line, and that’s when he went right after the referee and headbutted him. He hit him on the right side of his head.
“The kid ripped his helmet off and went after the white hat (referee). I just saw them scuffling. I yelled for my kids to get off the field because their sideline was getting out of control.”
This isn’t the first time Dunbar has been a part of controversy as both Dayton Public Schools and Dunbar specifically are on probation from Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) though at least the the current school year, with Dunbar’s probation extending to 2022 dating back to an incident in the 2016 season when Dunbar players were allegedly instructed to intentionally lose their final game of the season in an obtuse end-around attempt to reach the state playoffs after using an ineligible player. The scheme didn’t work, the “match throwing” allegations stuck and Dunbar was booted from the 2016 postseason.
Now, Dayton Public Schools say they’re investigating the current Dunbar controversy and the player involved, with the player subject to further discipline from the school and, depending on that outcome, the OHSAA as well. Here is the OHSAA’s statement regarding the transgression:
“In the coming days, we will continue to work with Dunbar High School and Dayton Public Schools regarding this incident. This is a very serious incident and we will investigate it to the fullest extent possible. Dunbar and DPS have fully cooperated since the game ended and at this point, it appears to be an isolated incident from one student-athlete.”
