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| Racial taunts, eggs, rocks mar game By Lewis Rutherfurd--[ lewis@hmbreview.com ] Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 3:48 PM PST Players, parents and faculty from Sequoia High School say they received a barrage of eggs, rocks and insults at Friday's football game at Half Moon Bay High School and they now say they want something else: an apology. Officials at the Redwood City school are calling the level of animosity at the game unprecedented - but also part of a pattern of racial abuse at Half Moon Bay sports events that they will no longer tolerate. "We're talking kids being called n--- after scoring a touchdown," said Morgan Marchbanks, the Sequoia principal. "And one of them was my son. It's the first time he's ever had to hear that in his life and he was devastated." At least four people ran naked onto the field during the game and eggs were thrown from the darkened hillside behind the visitors' stands at Sequoia supporters, according to officials at both schools. Rocks were also thrown at the Sequoia team bus as it left the school, according to Sequoia football coach Fine Lauese. "This is the first time we've experienced any of that," said Lauese of the streaking, eggs and rock throwing. But Lauese has coached football and basketball at Sequoia for the last 10 years and said that racial taunts have been a problem before at games pitting the two schools in both sports. "It's not just the football program, I've had kids on my basketball tell me about this before," said Lauese. "It's hate speech under the education code and hate-based violence," said Marchbanks. "We are waiting and assuming that there will be apologies to our players and parents." Marchbanks said that the education code requires specific penalties for hate speech and that she expects that Half Moon Bay players will be disciplined as well. "Obviously the allegations are serious enough to warrant a full investigation," said Charlie Gardner, president of the Cabrillo Unified School District governing board. Gardner said that the school would take appropriate action when more had been learned about the incidents and that Half Moon Bay High School Principal Susan Million was taking the lead in the process. Million could not be reached on Tuesday. "We're taking this quite seriously," said Cabrillo board member Dwight Wilson. "There is just no tolerance from our perspective of that behavior." Marchbanks said that Sequoia would wait for a response before deciding whether to take action such as calling off all future games with Half Moon Bay teams. "I will not subject my parents or my players to this again," she added. Terry Stogner, the commissioner of the Peninsula Athletic League to which both schools belong said that a move by Sequoia to drop Half Moon Bay from its athletic schedule would be a first in the league and something he does not anticipate. "I know that Half Moon Bay High School has started immediately on the correction of some issues at the school," said Stogner. "I have the schools talking to each other." "I'm not sure that a lot of things are being put on Half Moon Bay that don't belong on Half Moon Bay," Stogner said. "Things happen in competition." Schools in the league police themselves, he added, and any action taken on the league level will involve all the participating principals. Michael McCarron, president of the Northern California Football Officials Association, said that an incident report has been filed with the commissioner of the Central Coast Section by the head referee at the game concerning the streaking and egging incidents. He said no official at the game heard any racial or remarks on the field. High school and Cabrillo officials have been at work on the issue as well, said Alan Kass, the Cabrillo interim superintendent. "We're taking it very seriously," Kass said. Marchbanks has asked that the two football coaches meet and specifically identify the Half Moon Bay players who made racial remarks. Kass said the two men will review tape of the game and proceed from there. "If we find someone, we will act," said Kass. "We have to have some hard evidence." The penalties could range from team sanctions to suspension or expulsion. "It depends on what evidence we have, what the student did and what we can prove," he added. The other incidents of the night are under investigation as well. The district will look for ways to protect the stands from eggs and other projectiles, said Kass. The eggs were thrown from behind the visitors' stands and off school property. School officials saw the egging but could not catch the throwers, he added. "Unfortunately it happened during the last four minutes of the game," said Kass. "It was very opportunistic." Rocks were thrown at the opposing team bus after the game and Half Moon Bay Police were called to escort the bus off campus, said Police spokesman, Michael O'Malley. There were several fights at the school that night and police were dealing with drinking incidents as well, he added. At least one teenager was taken away in an ambulance after police found him too drunk to care for himself, according to police reports. "It was a busy night," O'Malley said. "There's no debate - they didn't feel safe coming on campus," said Kass of the Sequoia team and supporters. Students at Half Moon Bay High School are distraught over the incident, he added, and many say it reflects poorly and unfairly on the town's image. Kass said he was not aware of a background of racial animosity between the schools, but had heard of other unsubstantiated incidents after the fact. "This is an incident that is in front of us and this is something we can investigate," said Kass. Training sessions for Half Moon Bay coaches and players are being considered to address alleged racial remarks, he added, and streaking at high school games has taken on an uglier cast in light of Friday's debacle. The streakers disrupted the game and many Sequoia parents complained, he explained. "Eggs hitting the elderly, rocks, these remarks and streaking are all kind of mish- mashed together," said Kass. "I think the tide has kind of turned after this. There were some people who thought it was cute, but I don't think there's that kind of support anymore. I feel it's inappropriate for this age group and for these events." The Nov. 2 game between the schools came a week after Cabrillo Unified School District officials and local police dramatically increased their presence at the event to crack down on the annual practice of students streaking at the homecoming game. No streakers were present then, but many students and spectators suggested that upcoming games would see their return. O'Malley said that at least one Half Moon Bay officer would attend the school's scheduled game against Terra Nova in Pacifica Friday. |