A high school football game in Palm Coast ended in a brawl Thursday night, with players from Deltona High School and Matanzas High School fighting on the field after the final whistle.
Deltona beat Matanzas 21-12 in the makeup game at Matanzas High School. The teams were going through the traditional postgame handshake line when the fight broke out.
Video from the Palm Coast Observer’s livestream shows players from both teams rushing into the altercation as coaches and law enforcement moved in to separate them.
“A fight breaks out on the field after the play. This is not good,” one of the announcers said as the altercation began.
As the fight continued, the announcer called it “one of the worst scenes I have ever seen calling football.”
The broadcast team said the game had already included multiple unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. They also pointed out that while some players joined the fight, others from both teams walked away.
Now, both school districts and the Florida High School Athletic Association are reviewing what happened.
Volusia County Schools, which includes Deltona High School, said Friday that the district is reviewing video and gathering statements in coordination with Flagler Schools and the FHSAA.
“Accountability will be based on verified facts and individual conduct,” the district said in a statement to News 6. “Any student found to have violated the VCS Code of Student Conduct will be subject to disciplinary action consistent with School Board policy and applicable procedures.”
The district said the FHSAA could also impose sanctions, including suspensions from competition.
“Representing a school is a privilege,” Volusia County Schools said. “We expect student athletes, coaches and spectators to demonstrate respect, self-control and sportsmanship at every level of competition.”
The district said it will not release information about individual students, citing federal and state student privacy laws.
Flagler Schools, which includes Matanzas High School, said it is also investigating.
“Flagler Schools and Matanzas High School do not condone the behavior that occurred following Thursday night’s football game against Deltona High School,” the district said. “The altercation does not reflect the values of our district or the standards of sportsmanship we expect from our student-athletes.”
Flagler Schools said it is cooperating with Deltona High School and the FHSAA as the incident is reviewed.
The FHSAA, Florida’s governing body for high school athletics, told News 6 its athletics department has seen the video and is gathering information from both schools.
The association said it expects to review the incident over the next few days.
News 6 also contacted the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. The agency said it does not have an incident report or body-camera footage responsive to News 6’s request and referred questions about student discipline to the school districts.
It remains unclear how many players could ultimately face disciplinary action as a result of the fight.