Thursday night's game between East Mississippi Community College and Mississippi Delta was ended prematurely due to a lengthy fight before halftime. EMCC was winning 48-0 with 59 seconds left in the second quarter before the incident began.
Only at MDCC ...
Posted by Darius LaRentrez Scott on Thursday, October 22, 2015
The Commercial Dispatch's Scott Walters, from the scene:
Both benches have cleared and the fight is on
— Scott Walters (@dispatchscott) October 23, 2015
Trash cans being thrown, players running wildly all over the field ... This has gone on for five minutes
— Scott Walters (@dispatchscott) October 23, 2015
From a personal standpoint ... Kudos to the Delta linebacker who threw a garbage can 20 yards in the air ... Easily enough for a first down
— Scott Walters (@dispatchscott) October 23, 2015
Law enforcement, game officials, both ADs and both head coaches at midfield
— Scott Walters (@dispatchscott) October 23, 2015
The game has been called due to "violent ejections" for both teams
— Scott Walters (@dispatchscott) October 23, 2015
EMCC’s Buddy Stephens "it all started in the pregame with one of our managers getting five stitches (from an attack by a Delta player)"
— Scott Walters (@dispatchscott) October 23, 2015
Stephens "I don’t care, you could have been Ray Charles and you could have seen what was going on the whole first half"
— Scott Walters (@dispatchscott) October 23, 2015
Stephens "I put this on us for our lack of discipline, the referees for not controlling the game and (Delta) for (it’s) lack of discipline."
— Scott Walters (@dispatchscott) October 23, 2015
Stephens "We told our guys how this game would be and how they would play. If they don’t listen, I simply can not help them."
— Scott Walters (@dispatchscott) October 23, 2015
Last month, a game administrator was ejected for throwing a clipboard at EMCC head coach Stephens, after which the coach was suspended.
EMCC is one of the top JuCo programs in the nation, and featured current Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly last season.
The Lions were scheduled to host a playoff game next week, but they have since been disqualified for the brawl.
(h/t Deadspin for video, Hugh Kellenberger for Walters' tweets)