With 1:40 left on the clock in the third quarter, the Northview (Fla.) Chiefs of Century football team walked off the field Friday night, forfeiting the game to the Maplesville (Ala.) Red Devils. The Red Devils were leading 21-0, with Northview head coach Derek Marshman holding two consecutive penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct.
After Marshman was ejected from the game, Northview principal Gayle Weaver came down from the stands to exchange words with the referees on the field. Following their discussion, the game was called.
In an interview given to the Atmore Advance, a representative from Northview’s Quarterback Club told reporters that principal Weaver “took a stand for our players for them to return to the bus prior to the fourth quarter. This is for our players’ safety. We completely stand behind her decision and apologize to our players and supporters for this unforeseen chain of events.”
Maplesville head coach Brent Hubbard told the Clanton Advertiser, “We’ve got some younger kids and we were coming off of an emotional win last week over a bigger school. Learning how to deal with that roller coaster of emotion is difficult sometimes.” Hubbard intends to drive home the importance of sportsmanship as learned from the incident, using it as an opportunity to outline the parameters of what is acceptable in his program.
According to USA Today, Marshman has made no comment to explain the events of the game, and it is yet unclear what actions resulted in penalty. The situation is pending investigation by the FHSAA, Florida’s governing body for high school sports.
