Rockford area football game ends after fans, players leave in panic. Here's what happened

Friday night's Harlem-Auburn football game ended in stampede of fans and players running from the Harlem High School football stadium after a fight broke out in the crowd.

Players from both teams ran off the field as spectators ran from the stands to their cars in the parking lot.

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 with 4 minutes to play in the fourth quarter Friday night, scurrying up the grassy hillside opposite the Clyde F. Peterson Stadium 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.”

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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.

No shots were fired, but witnessed reported seeing police use a taser. 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. These kids just don’t understand the value of life. Hopefully they caught who did whatever.”

After a 30-minute delay, the game was officially suspended. It is scheduled to be resumed at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Auburn may be short-handed.

“I’ve got a lot of kids who have to work,” McFadden said. “I’ve got a lot of kids who are going on college visits. I don’t know. I’ve got to see. It’s not fun.”

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.

Matt Trowbridge is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at mtrowbridge@rrstar.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @MattTrowbridge.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford area football game ends after fans, players leave in panic. Here's what happened