Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for September 29, 2007 ANNA ROCKS!

...or was it candy kisses?

Football, soccer players clash at A-J homecoming parade

By Bethany Krajelis, The Southern

ANNA- Rocks or candy? That it is the question surrounding an incident involving the Anna-Jonesboro Community High School's football and soccer teams after Friday afternoon's homecoming parade.

Anna Police were called out to the school, 608 S. Main St. in Anna, after the parade ended to investigate an altercation between the two teams. No police report, however, had been filed as of Friday evening. While some claim it was pieces of hard candy that were thrown at the soccer team's float, others argue it was rocks and a few soccer players have injuries to prove it.

James Woodward, the school's superintendent, said from what he understands of the situation, the soccer team threw candy from its float and the football team, which was sitting together watching the parade, threw some back. One soccer player was taken to the hospital after a piece of candy struck him near his eye, Woodward said, adding that the student was not seriously injured.

"In both cases, both groups were wrong. Right now, I am mad at both of them," Woodward said from a classroom during the tailgating festivities. Taking a few pieces of hard candy out from his pocket, Woodward knocked the candy on the desk, explaining that there is the possibility the hurled candy felt like rocks.

"There was no evidence of rocks," he said, before quickly adding, "That is not to say a rock wasn't thrown."

Scott Hubble, a parent of one of the soccer players, said he was a passenger in the pick-up truck pulling the float and there's no doubt in his mind that there were rocks thrown.

He said the soccer team's float, its first ever, was coming to the end of the parade route when members of the football team chucked candy and then rocks.

"They bombarded us. It sounded like a machine gun," Hubble said, mimicking the sound. He added that the nearly 20 soccer players hit the deck of the float when they heard the loud noises. "I can tell when rock hits metal and when candy hits metal. It was rocks."

No one was suspended from the school's homecoming games, Woodward said, adding that the school will start an investigation Monday and deal with the situation accordingly. If anyone was a witness to the incident, Woodward suggested talking with the school's athletic director, Scott Fenders.

"It is very unfortunate that that young man got hurt," Woodward said. "(The Homecoming festivities) are a big deal here and for it to be marred by kids throwing candy at each other is sad."

Woodward said an Anna police officer talked with half of the football team, whose members admitted to throwing candy and denied throwing rocks. He said he and the officer thoroughly scanned the scene, which was about two blocks from the high school near the intersection of West Spring and Main streets.

Pointing to the street, Woodward said he and the officer could not find any evidence of rocks. Shattered candy remained in the street and pieces of hard candy were visible in nearby yards. A small gravel driveway was located about 20 feet away.

But Hubble said the rocks left visible holes in the soccer team's banner and in addition to the student who went to the hospital bleeding, another player had welts on his arms. Neither Hubble nor Woodward said they were aware of anything that may have spurred the incident.

"A sign shouldn't have provoked this. No one deserves to have rocks thrown at them. It was just uncalled for," Hubble said. "I don't want anyone to get in trouble over this, but I think something should be done."