KINGSTON, Pa. — At the Wyoming Valley West Football Stadium in Kingston, the varsity football team held its evening practice.
The team is set to meet Berwick this weekend. However, the game won't be held under the Friday night lights.
Both the Kingston Police chief and the district's superintendent say the behavior of some Valley West students at the games has gotten out of control.
Therefore, the game is rescheduled for noon on Saturday.
Team captain and senior Aiden Golightley says the team is getting fed up.
"It's frustrating because a lot of us have worked so hard to come this far to be in our senior season and have it taken away. Because we're already dealing with so much adversity with the pandemic-wise, it just comes down to immaturity," said Golightley.
"The only thing I say is it should be stopped; there's no reason for the violence. It shouldn't be on the football field at all," added fellow player and senior Desmond Rhodes.
Kingston's police chief says things really got violent at last Saturday's Valley West game against Wilkes-Barre Area, where Valley West students, with ages ranging from13 to 16 years old, attacked one another in a riot-type brawl, with an officer getting hit by a Valley West student.
"Now we're seeing it come to a point where they're more violent, unruly, disorderly. And the kids just don't listen, there's no respect," said Chief Richard Kotchik.
The superintendent says continuing to move the games to Saturday isn't ideal, but it's what must be done for the time being.
"We don't want to do is punish the good kids, the football players, the cheerleaders, the band for something that a small group of students are doing," said Superintendent Dave Tosh.
The schedule change will also affect this weekend's game between Tunkhannock and Wilkes-Barre Area, which was supposed to be played at Valley West's stadium on Saturday afternoon.
That game will now be played Friday night at Tunkhannock.
See news happening? Text our Newstip Hotline.