Rise in rowdy crowds disrupts Davis High games

PHOTO: Graphic by Maya Delaney

By Maya Malinowski & Harald Tollerup

BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

It’s an hour before the second round of the Les Curry Invitational, an annual basketball tournament hosted by Davis High in the North Gym every December. Mark McGreevy, who took the job as DHS’ Athletic Director just two months before, is at the game. He goes through his usual pregame checklist.

Walking over to the snack table, he checks in with parent volunteers. Next, he makes his way to the desk at the gate and checks in on DHS scorers’ table. Players from Wood High School and DHS both begin to arrive. McGreevy ushers both teams to their designated warm-up areas.

Once the game starts it becomes apparent that this game will be particularly rowdy. McGreevy is forced to step in to separate Wood parents and DHS students throughout the game. Similarly, intense energy can be felt on the court. Flagrant fouls, clear and intentional contact against a player, were called against Davis and Wood. In both instances, a player was pushed to the ground.

As the clock hits zero, McGreevy’s job is far from done. Wood players, after their team meeting, rush DHS’ student section.

“There was a lot of aggressive posturing and words going back and forth,” McGreevy said.

The tension quickly spills over and outside the gym.

A fist fight is raging.

After McGreevy finally breaks it up, he’s left in shock. His dismay worsens when he hears reports that the conflict now has escalated even further.

Multiple Davis community members and a Wood parent call in to McGreevy and DHS. Students and parents from the game are chasing one another around campus and on the highway. 

Conflict and rowdiness has recently seen an uptick at DHS sporting events. This struggle is not uniquely a Davis issue “We have our own flavor in Davis of what we deal with,” McGreeevy said. “When I talk to other ADs in the region … they are seeing some of the same stuff.”

The DHS administration recognizes this issue and is taking it seriously. “There are on the table conversations with other ADs and Principal Bryce Geigle in the (Sierra Foothill League) of ‘we need to do something. We need to rein this in,’” McGreevy said.

In another basketball game on Jan. 21 against Cosumnes Oaks, McGreevy had to break up a Cosumnes parent and DHS athlete, who were standing inches from each other. The parent was threatening the student with physical violence.

“I don’t remember (the conflict) as such when I came as a visiting AD,” McGreevy said. “When talking to other ADs, this kind of thing is peaking for whatever reason now.”

Senior Sawyer Schoen was at the game against Cosumnes Oaks on Jan. 21. “A mom from Cosumnes Oaks came running over from the opposite corner of where the student section is,” Schoen said. “I then saw her and a student start to get into a scuffle with students surrounding them.”

Initially the confrontation was physical, but McGreevy and the DHS athletic trainer came to break it up. “I was surprised a full grown adult would go after a student like that,” Schoen said. “It’s very immature and embarrassing.”

Jeff Lorenson, the former AD for DHS and current Assistant Commissioner for the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section, has noticed a change in fan behavior before and after the pandemic.

“From adults to students, spectators are treating game officials and opposing teams with gross unsportsmanlike behaviors,” Lorenson said. “So much so that the (California Interscholastic Federation Sac-Joaquin) section has had to increase the consequences for adult ejections at contests.”

These new rules stipulate that “any adult ejected from any CIF contest will be barred from attending the next three contests,” Lorenson said. “This could be an ejection from an official or site admin having to ask a fan to leave the facility.”

This change by CIF has been mirrored by DHS. The staff presence has increased at games and even officers from the Davis Police Department have been brought in.

Before the pandemic, he says, there were not as many issues with crowds. Esmer Velagic stopped refereeing high school basketball when the pandemic hit, and did not have the same issues.

“We never had a problem with the people, you know, running or attacking anybody,” Velagic said.

In fact, a packed crowd could be preferable to an empty gym.

“(A large crowd) means that there’s something they are playing for,” Velagic said. “When you come into the gym and it’s empty, and you can hear the basketball just bouncing up and down, and that’s the only noise you hear, it’s not the same.” Athletes can attest to the impact of a positive crowd’s energy. “(It) creates an electric atmosphere that’s so much fun to play in,” senior Aidan Crawford said. He played basketball for four years at DHS.

When a situation does get problematic, referees greatly appreciate the work the AD does.

“(The ADs have) been very helpful, very easy to talk to,” soccer referee Jennifer Urquhart said. “Usually you can just ask them to take care of the situation and they do so without an issue.”

However, what officials may view as a problematic situation can seem different to athletes. Junior Gavin Debrito, who has played soccer for DHS for three years, remembered a recent game with one such situation. 

“(The referee) got mad at the parents, saying he would kick them all off the field,” Debrito said. “I think this affected our game poorly because it seemed the ref was against us the rest of the game.”

There can be miscommunication between the players and the officials (or AD), about when a situation needs to be taken care of before it gets out of hand. 

What can seem to players as a minor issue, can easily escalate into the kinds of problems that have been happening more frequently. As such, referees have been implementing a harsher zero-tolerance policy.

But still the misbehavior continues. In one recent week, three yellow cards were given to the stands at both DHS men’s and women’s soccer games.

One of the consequences of the increased conflicts is that Davis and the surrounding area are experiencing a referee crisis. “We are running out of officials, people are not interested in signing up,” McGreevy said. 

McGreevy says what it boils down to is that “It’s not fun. They are getting tired of (the complaints).” Without referees, many of the sports at Davis High would have to be down-sized. 

“We can’t have many of these games without them,” he said. “We can’t have soccer or basketball or volleyball without officials.”

The threat to high school athletics as a whole is one McGreevy takes seriously. “That (referees quitting) literally poses an existential threat to high school athletics.”