SAN FRANCISCO — High tensions turned into violence on the floor at Archbishop Riordan High School on Thursday night.
Players from both benches came onto the floor, punches were thrown and the Division I NorCal quarterfinals between No. 5 Inderkum-Sacramento (28-3) and No. 4 Archbishop Riordan (22-6) had to be stopped with Riordan leading 61-52 and 1:15 remaining on the clock.
It is not known whether the game will be resumed at a later date. The winner is scheduled to play Saturday in the NorCal semifinals.
“We will wait for the report from the game officials before making any decisions,” California Interscholastic Federation executive director Ron Nocetti said in a text message.
Tension started building late in fourth quarter when Inderkum coach Fred Wilson and his entire staff vehemently protested an official’s referee’s call. Inderkum, which never had a lead in the game, thought it had forced a 10-second violation when Riordan coach Joe Curtin called a timeout that was granted by the referees.
The reaction by the Inderkum staff and fans prompted the refs to huddle and reverse the call.
A few plays later, with Inderkum still pressing and trying to foul, Riordan sophomore Jasir Rencher collected an inbound pass and took a hard foul. Some teammates didn’t like it and players from both teams began shoving each other. Then, as players from both teams threw punches, Inderkum’s entire bench and at least one Riordan player left the bench and went onto the floor. Parents came out of the stands and onto the court as mayhem ensued.
The fighting continued for a few minutes before Inderkum ushered its staff and players out of the building, police arrived and the school made an announcement asking everybody to leave.
Riordan senior Achilles Woodson was tossed to the floor and appeared to hit his head. He laid on the ground for several minutes and had to be helped to his feet. Though he appeared dizzy, he was able to walk off the floor. Woodson had scored 23 points.
Curtin declined to be interviewed after the game, but said via text that he didn’t think anyone on his team was seriously hurt in the melee.
Darren Sabedra contributed to this report.