We expect to see a couple of hours of intense competition on Friday nights across Arkansas as high school football teams clash on brightly lit gridirons to determine which walks back to the locker room smiling.
But the other night in Elkins the excitement of Friday night lights degenerated near the end of the 3A-1 conference game with the visiting Cedarville Pirates into what I'd call the Friday night fights (and slurs, and injury to two police officers, and an arrest, and overall ugliness).
And when the nastiness, shouting, shoving and inciting ended, along with the game being called with only minutes remaining, Cedarville's second-year coach Kevin J. Lea, the son of state Auditor Andrea Lea, later would be charged with a host of misdemeanors: inciting a riot, failing to disperse, second-degree endangering of a minor's welfare, harassment, and obstructing government operations, according to a news story by reporter Scarlet Sims.
I gotta say, valued readers, I don't recall ever reading a story quite this odd about this kind of meltdown and conflict involving a high school football coach, fans, players, administrators and law enforcement. If I were Coach Lea the next morning, as a full-grown adult and mentor to youth, I'd have awakened wondering just what the heck I'd done to myself and my coaching career the night before. More importantly, why?
The standoff between players, fans and officials began with a players' fight on the field that referees had to break up. That sort of thing happens in emotionally charged football games everywhere.
But official reports show that the conflict prompted Lea to begin screaming and cursing at the referees. Well, that sort of thing also happens on a regular basis. But this ranting apparently was so over the top that the referees signaled the end of the game with minutes remaining, which meant the Elks of Elkins were declared winner by a score of 16 to 6. (I guess Coach Lea showed those refs how the ol' cow ate the spinach).
Oh, but things got worse, a lot worse.
Lea and his players were naturally upset the game had been called. So Lea, the police report says, continued his diatribes, even tossing curses and a racial slur at Elkins' Coach Thurman Shaw, who is black. Officials then asked the teams to leave the field. Shaw and his team obliged.
The report continues, saying Lea and his players returned to the field with Lea still shouting. Elkins Resource Officer James Todd again instructed Lea to leave along with his players. That certainly should have been the end of an already most unpleasant evening.
But did Lea leave? Why no. Instead, the news account and police report said he cursed at Todd in defiance, shouting: "I'm not going!"
At that point, the report continues, Lea swung his arms to keep the officer away. By now, players on the Cedarville team had surrounded Todd, who had to be feeling mighty lonely. The players supposedly began shoving and taunting the officer. Sgt. Troy Reed, who'd been attending the game with his family, left the stands to assist Todd, saying later in the police report that Lea's actions were causing other players and coaches to swarm.
By now Elkins fans had seen what was unfolding and went onto the field to assist the officers, Reed said.
Todd was struck forcefully in his lower back as he continued telling Lea and his players to leave the field, Sims reported. And Reed wound up with a busted lip. Other police agencies were summoned and here came the blue lights and howling sirens from Washington County deputies, state police and West Fork and Springdale police. They arrived after the dust had settled.
The teenaged Cedarville players had finally pulled their full-grown coach away to end the melee, which incidentally was caught on videotape. Yet the emotional embers still burned as Cedarville fans reportedly hurled a few comments perceived as threats toward the Elkins fans. For instance, Todd said he overheard one Cedarville fan supposedly say, "this isn't over. They come to us Thursday." Officials wisely canceled that junior high game between the schools there.
Police said Lea continued acting belligerent even as Cedarville's acting principal accompanied him onto the waiting bus. Many Elkins fans were standing behind Reed and Elkins school administrators as sheriff's deputies escorted the Cedarville team away.
Police wisely chose not to charge Lea at the field that night out of concern that it could easily intensify what Elkins Police Chief Bill Rhodes later would call a serious matter and "pretty big issue." Instead, Lea was arrested the following Wednesday morning at his home in Van Buren, booked into the Washington County Detention Center, and released on $8,800 bond.
I suppose if there's a slender ray of light peeking through from this sad, dark little story, it's the hope that other coaches, players and fans who read about how this coach behaved in front of his players, hundreds of people and now an entire state, will learn from the wisdom and maturity of always setting a positive example, which translates to knowing when enough hysterical behavior is enough.
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Mike Masterson's column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at mikemasterson10@hotmail.com.
Editorial on 10/25/2015