A high school lacrosse game in Maryland was recently stopped when officials called the game over concerns that it was becoming too violent.
Westminster High School held a 10-5 lead over Mount St. Joseph High School, with most of the fourth quarter remaining, when officials halted the game.
According to the Carroll County Times, both teams had been flagged with physical penalties and had players ejected before the officials decided to end the game.
Games have been stopped for similar reasons in the past, but it’s more likely to happen in the final minutes or seconds of the game. Calling play with nearly one full period to go is rare, according to school officials from Carroll County and the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association.
“We’ve had ugly games, but it hasn’t happened like that,” said Brian Booz, an assistant principal at Westminster High School who played lacrosse in the county and coached the sport for 12 years.
Booz said that in the past, tempers have flared but coaches have been able to gather their players and talk them down.
John Sheehan, SLOA’s scholastic lacrosse assignor, told the County Times via email that such situations happen “more than you would think.”
“The officials always consider the safety of the student athletes No. 1 when making these sort of decisions,” Sheehan said.
