Battling Barons

Never ending brawls, cops, and violence continue to occur following many of B-CC sporting events. Earlier this season a fight between Gaithersburg and Northwest seemed to kick off violence seen at high schools all over the county, leading to harsher restrictions when entering games. Although fights that have followed BCC games have not been as severe, they are still prevalent.

Last year, after a heartbreaking loss to Walter Johnson in overtime, some students sought to let their rage out on a physical level. Fights broke out between both fanbases, which resulted in some B-CC students throwing stones at a Walter Johnson bus. Whether in a sense of pride for the team, or a distaste for the opposing team, their behavior needs to be controlled.

This year, a similar series of events played out when Walter Johnson students and B-CC students broke out in violence in Bethesda Row following the football game. Fortunately, police officers were able to put an end to the fight before any significant physical damage was done; however, violence like this cannot be normalized.

Out of fear of the safety of students and staff, last week’s Friday night football game was moved to 4:00 PM rather than the normal 6:30 game. As a result of Whitman being BCC’s biggest rival, county officials wanted to avoid all possible conflict between students. After protests and backlash from players, students and parents, the County compromised and moved the game to 5:00 pm.

Instead of ignoring this issue, the school administration needs to crack down on student behavior both before and after games. The prominence of violence will only grow and become more and more damaging to the school and community.