Coaches Fight and Players Clash at Multiple Football Games

Several high school and college football games saw confrontations before or during play around Sept. 19, 2026. Oberlin’s homecoming game against Centerville in Louisiana was canceled at half with Centerville leading 36-6 after head coach Robert Etheridge and assistant Jaden Brasseaux argued on the sideline and then fought in the locker room. Police Chief Grady Haynes said they exchanged punches and Etheridge allegedly flipped a desk. Superintendent Brad Soileau said he would like to apologize to the people of Oberlin and the visiting team, called the episode unacceptable, and promised a full investigation and accountability. In Galen, N.Y., Clyde-Savannah and Palmyra-Macedon players fought during a varsity game; both districts said no one needed medical transport from the fight and that they were reviewing it with Section V and law enforcement. Compton and Narbonne players brawled on the field in the fourth quarter in California, with video showing coaches escorting them off. At Memorial Stadium, Clemson and UNC players exchanged heated words near midfield after UNC finished a pregame prayer by the Tiger Paw; coaches intervened and no punches were thrown. Bill Belichick had said UNC was heading into a real hostile environment at Clemson.