Players run off the field during 'scary' incident at Illinois high school football game

A high school football game in Illinois was postponed after a fight broke out in the crowd , leading to a stampede of fans and players running to safety.

Players from Auburn High School and Harlem High School ran off the field as spectators ran from the stands to their cars in the parking lot at Harlem's stadium, located in northern Illinois about 90 miles northwest of Chicago.

Officials said a fight between two teenage girls grew to include more people, and police were called to break it up.

Players from both teams fled the field in the second half Friday night, scurrying up the grassy hillside opposite the grandstands.

“Our student section started emptying, and panic spread from there,” Harlem coach Jim Morrow said after the game was suspended with Harlem leading 20-6. “I am not an authority on what happened. I was not aware of anything going on behind the bleachers. It was just a panicked response. Our guys saw what was transpiring, and we just tried to get everybody to safety.”

Officials in the press box had been talking about a fight behind the grandstands for five minutes. They attempted ending the altercation on their own. When that failed, they called police.

Shortly before police arrived, the two girls began fighting again. That unrest spread to the stands and then to the field.

Officers placed one of the two girls in the back of a police vehicle. More than 20 police cars eventually arrived on the scene.

Auburn coach Leroy McFadden said he “had no clue” what spooked his players enough to flee the field.

“I just turned to look for my family,” McFadden said. “When everybody ran, I got my team off the field and looked for my family. I am responsible for them. I don’t know what happened, but when everyone is running your way, it means you run, too.

“It was pretty scary. I had my 7-year-old out here. He was nervous and scared and crying.”

After a 30-minute delay, the game was officially suspended. It resumed Saturday, and Harlem won 40-6.

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A similar stampede happened in at a basketball game at Auburn High School in January when a loud noise from the crowded hallway outside the gymnasium was mistaken for gunfire causing players and fans to flee in a panic .

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Players run off the field during 'scary' incident at Illinois high school football game