CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio (WJW) – A local high school is speaking out after an ugly incident caught on tape at the end of a girls’ soccer game.
The incident was captured on video by Ohio Sports Net during the Regional Final between Walsh Jesuit and Strongsville Saturday.
As Strongsville went to win the game, things escalated quickly as Walsh’s head coach and assistant coach went after the official.
Seconds later, a fan stormed after the refs and Macedonia police were forced to step in to clear the field.
“I was at the game myself and I was immediately aware,” said Walsh Jesuit’s president Karl Ertle.
Ertle apologized to Strongsville and Nordonia, who hosted the game.
“It was absolutely unacceptable behavior by our coaches and our fans,” said Ertle.
Ertle said he addressed the issue with the student body Monday morning.
“Obviously as a Catholic Jesuit school, we are very serious about our mission. This is the exact opposite of anything we want to do as a school and when we play sports,” said Ertle.
At the same time, the Ohio High School Athletic Association began an investigation into the incident.
The OHSAA said in a statement, “The OHSAA is collecting reports from both schools, officials and the host site game manager. These things usually take several days. We do not condone any type of threats towards officials during or after any game.”
FOX 8 reached out to Strongsville City Schools who declined to comment, saying they wanted to focus on the state semifinals Tuesday.
“As soon as order was restored, it was beautiful to see kids congratulate each other on the game on a very well-played game. In a lot of ways, the kids taught the adults,” said Ertle.
Meanwhile, Ertle said they have not made any final decisions yet on the status of the coaches, pending the outcome of the OHSAA’s investigation.
“The way the students played with class made me proud, but the aftermath was absolutely unacceptable. We will deal with it in the appropriate way with harsh consequences,” said Ertle.