A high school soccer match in South Dakota turned violent last week when a defender attacked an opposing player during the season opener between Brookings High School and Rapid City Central, and video of the incident has since spread widely online.
The altercation happened Friday, just before halftime, according to KTLA sister station KELO-TV. Broadcast footage from the game shows a Brookings player in an orange jersey chasing the ball down the left sideline when he ran into a Rapid City Central defender wearing white.
Player Kicked and Punched After Collision
After the two collided, the Rapid City Central defender shoved the Brookings player out of bounds, knocking him to the ground. He then stood over the player, kicked him in the back, dropped to one knee and threw a series of punches while the teenager lay face down on the turf trying to cover his head.
The Rapid City Central goalkeeper and a Brookings coach rushed in to break things up, but the situation escalated further when a second Brookings player sprinted across the field to help his teammate. That player tackled the Rapid City Central defender and threw punches of his own before order was restored.
The defender who started the attack was given a red card and removed from the game. The fight held up play for about 10 minutes. When the match resumed, Brookings was already ahead 2-0 and went on to win.
School District Responds to Viral Video
Rapid City Central issued a statement to KELO-TV acknowledging the incident and saying the district holds its athletes to a standard of respect and sportsmanship both on and off the field. The statement noted that the behavior seen in the video does not meet those expectations and that appropriate consequences would follow under the Rapid City Area Schools’ conduct policy.
The district also released portions of its student conduct guidelines, which are expected to help determine what disciplinary action, if any, will be taken against the player involved.
The video has drawn heavy reaction online, with many commenters expressing shock at the level of aggression shown by a high school athlete. Some pointed to recent controversies in professional soccer as a possible influence on young players’ behavior on the field.
As of now, no further details have been released about potential penalties facing the player or the program.
