City Series boys basketball turned ugly Jan. 13 after Buchtel’s 74-55 win at Firestone.
Video on Instagram from @egdoody, which was reposted by @ochipssx, shows students taking their belts off and smacking the Falcons logo, much like Michael Irvin does to an opponents’ T-shirt after a Miami football win in the playoffs.
During the scuffle, a Firestone player was hit by a belt buckle and required stitches.
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According to the source, the logo smacking was in retaliation for a Falcons player whipping the Griffins logo after a 44-39 win on Dec. 9 at Buchtel.
Fast forward to Jan. 13, and a Buchtel player laid on the logo after the Griffins win and then a group of about 15 fans came from the stands, with some swinging belts on the Falcons logo.
“The safety and well-being of our scholars is our absolute highest priority,” Dr. Stacey Hodoh, director of communications for Akron Public Schools said in a Jan. 14 statement. “While the passion of the City Series is a long-standing tradition in Akron, violence, unsportsmanlike conduct, and physical altercations will not be tolerated under any circumstances. We are deeply concerned by the actions displayed and are taking this matter very seriously.
“Akron Public Schools is currently conducting an investigation into the events of Jan. 13, as well as the reported inciting incidents from previous matchups. The district will strictly follow its Student Code of Conduct and disciplinary policies regarding all individuals identified as participants in the altercation.”
According to an eyewitness, there was pushing and shoving. No punches were thrown and authorities had things under control in less than a minute.
“Akron Public Schools prides itself on the community engagement of its athletic programs,” Hodoh said. “However, maintaining a safe environment requires the active participation of our parents, families and the entire community. We are urging our parents and guardians to talk with their children about the importance of sportsmanship and the real-world consequences of their actions. We ask our families to partner with our staff to reinforce standards of conduct that reflect the values of Akron Public Schools. Athletics should be a space for competition and growth, not conflict.”
Hodoh emphasized that the actions of a few individuals do not reflect the character of the student body or the significant progress being made across Akron Public Schools.
“It is disheartening when an isolated incident like this overshadows the incredible achievements of our scholars,” she added. “We refuse to let the poor choices made by a few define the hard work, excellence and growth that our 19,000 students demonstrate daily in our classrooms and communities. The district is currently reviewing its safety protocols for future high-profile athletic events to ensure a secure environment for all players, coaches and fans. The district is working closely with school security to ensure accountability and to prevent future occurrences.”
Akron Public Schools Coordinator of Athletics Tom McKinnon was not at the Buchtel vs. Firestone boys basketball game on Jan. 13. Instead, he said he was at the Garfield at Ellet boys basketball game, where first place was on the line in the City Series. Garfield (10-2, 7-0) is atop the league with 49-43 and 41-34 wins over Ellet (8-3, 5-2).
“With last night, we are still investigating that,” McKinnon said Jan. 14. “I haven’t even been able to see the video. We are still investigating that. We are still doing a deeper dive into what is actually going on at this time.”
McKinnon recently replaced Joe Vassalotti, who retired as Akron Public Schools coordinator of athletics on Dec 30. McKinnon said the incident between Firestone and Buchtel on Dec. 9 took place on his first day working alongside Vassalotti.
“Joe was handling that portion of it,” McKinnon said of the first incident. “… We will grow from this and we will get better.”
When asked how the district can try to prevent these altercations from happening in the future, McKinnon said, “I think we just need to do due diligence and make sure we are teaching kids up right on how to act and behave at sporting events, and just create a positive culture.”
Firestone athletic director and boys basketball coach Brian Neugebauer said he was “frustrated, disappointed and shocked” by the incidents after each game.
“This is all very unfortunate,” said Neugebauer, who is also a teacher at Firestone. “When we beat them at their place, the incident that occurred afterwards completely overshadowed the win. Last night’s payback was, first of all, not their team, which is I think is good on the part of their coaching staff that they obviously addressed the situation and said, ‘Hey, we are going to let our play do our talking, right? And we are not going to do things that are going to be detrimental to our image or who we are.
“These incidents are unsportsmanlike, they’re bad and they are unfortunate because it doesn’t just affect us, it affects Akron Public Schools and all of the communities within it. Even if those teams are not involved in it, it’s a bad look.”
Firestone (4-10, 4-3) and Buchtel (3-10, 3-4) are third and fourth, respectively, in the City Series.
“This is almost a reflection on society, which doesn’t make it OK, but everybody wants to one up everybody,” Neugebauer said. “Everybody wants to get back. Everybody has got to one up. It is nonsense, really. Nobody cares. The important thing when we talk in sports is, ‘did you win or did you lose,’ not ‘what you did as a celebration afterwards.’ That should be forgotten about. Nobody cares, but as you scroll or as you look at your feed [on social media], things pop up and might catch your eye and you might watch for a moment, and then it is gone.”
Neugebauer said the coaches have talked to the players about making better decisions and learning from their mistakes.
“We are talking about teenage kids,” he said. “They are going to make mistakes. Then, you just hope they move ahead and move forward and don’t repeat these mistakes and do better. Sometimes you see it and sometimes you don’t. All in all, you hope they get it.”
Neugebauer, a former teacher and girls basketball coach at Buchtel, said he is friends with Griffins athletic director Bryan Williams and boys basketball coach Rayshon Dent.
“They are going to address this situation and they are going to take care of that in-house like we did our incident with our player,” Neugebauer said.
The Akron Beacon Journal reached out to Williams and Dent seeking comment, but have not received statements.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Beacon Journal education writer Kelli Weir contributed to this story.
The Akron Beacon Journal sports department can be contacted via email at bjsports@thebeaconjournal.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Fracas breaks out at Firestone’s home game with Buchtel boys basketball
Reporting by Brad Bournival and Michael Beaven, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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