Gilmer and Calhoun went at it before and after the final buzzer sounded.
The Region 7-3A soccer matchup contained plenty of physical play last Friday. Emotions ran high at the match’s conclusion, which ended with the visiting Yellow Jackets securing a 2-1 overtime victory.
Following the match, a fight ensued, which brought both teams onto the field. Coaches and administrators were quickly on the scene to break up the fracas.
“Obviously the end of the match was unfortunate with the fight and the loss. But we will move on,” said head coach Taylor Johnstone.
“Some of our players have decided to leave the team instead of face suspension. Fortunately, we have been developing younger players throughout the season. We will certainly have a different looking lineup this week, but we will be ready to compete. I have full confidence in our team and that we can win some ball games still.”
Gilmer was on the attack early and its first shot came after five minutes of play. Moments later, it appeared Ronald Cuz gave the Bobcats the lead, but he was ruled offside.
Bobcat Brayner Ortiz made a threatening run inside the box, and a Calhoun defender slid in from behind. His tackle went through Ortiz’s legs as he shot, but no foul was called. He was tackled in a similar fashion a second time, but no foul was issued.
A Bobcat was given a yellow card with 17:40 left in the half. Twelve minutes later, Gilmer broke through for a goal. A Bobcat corner kick was not cleared, and William Zarate was there to knock it into the back of the net.
A GHS player received a second yellow with less than five minutes left in the half.
Shots by Cuz and Ortiz were saved in the early stages of the second half. Calhoun’s offense started to pick up with crosses and corners, but GHS maintained its lead. With five minutes to play, Ortiz made a long pass to Angel Aguilar. He beat the goalkeeper to the ball, but his chip shot was wide.
A minute later, CHS sent a cross in from the left wing. It was met at the far post for a goal.
A pair of 10-minute overtime periods ensued. The Jackets scored on a breakaway in the final minute of the first overtime period and GHS was not able to even the score.
The bench-clearing donnybrook was investigated by both schools’ athletic directors and the Georgia High School Association. Video and photos of the altercation were examined, which resulted in a two-game suspension for five Gilmer players. Seven Calhoun players were identified and received the same fate.
“It was very disappointing,” said GHS athletic director Matt Johnson. “I talked to their AD who was not at the game and with the GHSA and the officials. We all agreed it wasn’t an overly chippy game. It’s not like we expected anything like that to happen. I know that emotions were running high and it was a very competitive game. I really thought that was going to be the gist of it.
“If you look at the video, what you see is a lot of good things at the conclusion of the game, a lot of kids hugging and high-fiving. One singular incident kind of escalated it very quickly. And that was very disappointing.”
He added, “I thought the coaches involved from both teams got out there and did what they were supposed to do to get their players out of it. I felt like we’ve really spent a lot of time this year talking to our kids about the importance of sportsmanship and good decision making and never getting involved in something like that. So I think that level of disappointment is a little bit higher. They’re also kids and we understand that. And we know that we’re just going to have to continue to teach them.”
GHS is 5-6 overall and 1-1 in region. The Cats took on Adairsville (4-3) at press deadline. They host Ridgeland (0-8) Friday for a 7:30 p.m. match.