A sportsmanship fail unfolded at a recent WPIAL football game between Gateway and McKeesport.
Entire Student Section Ejected From HS Football Game
- by Andy Berg, October 2019
High school officials are increasingly forced to confront unruly fans, as was the case a football game this past weekend in Pennsylvania.
The entire student section was kicked out of a game at McKeesport Area High School for repeatedly shouting taunts and obscenities after being told to stop.
Students from Gateway High School, the opposing team, were wearing surgical masks and white doctor’s outfits Friday night, and shouting “Diseaseport” at their rivals, according to McKeesport superintendent Mark Holtzman Jr. Gateway cheerleaders were also wearing the masks.
Holtzman said more than 100 students were yelling profanities, and he asked them to stop. When the chanting continued, he asked police to keep an eye on the section.
“Unfortunately, last night their student section came with limited supervision, and they were quite belligerent even coming into the game,” Holtzman told the WPXI News 11. “I didn’t want the issue to become a big issue that I couldn’t control.”
Gateway athletic director Chuck Reilly said that his students’ behavior was not as bad as the home officials described.
“I can unequivocally say it was not the whole section, because I would have heard it,” Reilly told Trib Live.
Gateway School District said it will address the issue with students to improve behavior at future games.
“Absolutely we will address the behavior of our students,” he said. “My wish is that McKeespoort will address the behavior of their students, which was as bad if not worse as our fans were.”
Another take, from the Trib
Gateway students removed from McKeesport game for taunts, profanity
More than 100 Gateway High School students were kicked out of a football game at McKeesport Area High School for repeatedly shouting taunts and obscenities after being told to stop, McKeesport Superintendent Mark Holtzman Jr. said Saturday.
Gateway athletic director Chuck Reilly said his students’ behavior was not as bad as McKeesport officials said.
The Gateway students were wearing surgical masks and white doctor’s outfits Friday, and shouting “Diseaseport” at their rivals, Holtzman said. He said the Gateway cheerleaders also wore masks.
“Unfortunately, last night their student section came with limited supervision, and they were quite belligerent even coming into the game,” Holtzman said.
The students repeatedly chanted profanities at the McKeesport team and fans, according to Holtzman. He asked them to stop. When they did not, he said he sent administrators and police officers to keep an eye on the section.
The chants continued, and Holzman said he made the decision to have the students escorted out of the stands.
“I didn’t want the issue to become a big issue that I couldn’t control,” he said.
Reilly said he was standing in front of the Gateway student section. He said, while there was some swearing and raucous behavior, it was not to the level described by McKeesport officials.
“I can unequivocally say it was not the whole section, because I would have heard it,” he said.
He said he accepted McKeesport’s decision, but he did not think it was warranted by his students’ behavior.
“I said it’s fine, it’s their stadium, if this is what they want to do, this is what they want to do,” Reilly said.
Holtzman said individual students have occasionally been kicked out of games, but never an entire section.
Reilly said McKeesport students were hurling insults and homophobic slurs at Gateway players.
Gateway School District will address the issue with students to improve behavior at future games, Reilly said. He said he hopes McKeesport has a similar conversation with its students.
“Absolutely we will address the behavior of our students,” he said. “My wish is that McKeespoort will address the behavior of their students, which was as bad if not worse as our fans were.”
Reilly and McKeesport athletic director Charlie Kiss agree that Gateway and McKeesport usually have a friendly rivalry, and they’d like to keep it that way.
“We were happy to see them come on over,.We’ve always had a pretty healthy, respectful rivalry with Gateway,” he said.
“This sheds a little bit of a negative light on that.”
Gateway defeated McKeesport 36-7 Friday.