Coach Accuses Canyon Student of Battery After Brawl at Game

A brawl following a basketball game Friday at Canyon High has led to the filing of a battery complaint against a Canyon football player, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday.

Robert Campbell, 26, an assistant basketball coach at Burroughs in Ridgecrest, suffered mouth injuries when struck during the melee. Campbell filed the complaint Tuesday, accusing Canyon student Chad Zeigler of throwing the punch.

Zeigler, an All-Golden League defensive back on Canyon’s Southern Section champion football team last season, said that he was defending himself in a fight and does not remember hitting the coach.

“Mr. Campbell has made a complaint and wants to prosecute,” Sheriff’s Detective John Stapp said. “Because we’re dealing with a juvenile, charges can’t be filed against him by Campbell. It’s up to me to decide if any charges will be filed.”

If charges are filed, Stapp said, the case would be sent to juvenile court authorities.

Zeigler, 16, has been suspended from school. He was the only Canyon student suspended after the incident. Burroughs Coach Frank Mazer said his school does not plan to take action against any Burroughs player or student.

“It’s a three-day suspension . . . pending an investigation by the school,” said William White, Canyon principal. Authorities were not sure how the brawl, which eventually included both players and fans, started. Canyon won the game in overtime, 75-69.

Canyon basketball player Butch Mettinger and Burroughs player Allan Celestine had exchanged words after Celestine committed a flagrant foul against Mettinger during the game’s overtime period. (A flagrant foul is defined as savage or violent contact, such as striking with the fist or elbow. The player who commits the foul is ejected from the game and the other team is allowed two free throws.)

After the game, Mettinger and Celestine exchanged words again.

Said Burroughs Coach Frank Mazer: “Mettinger chased Allan Celestine and Mitch Bird, and followed them all the way to the locker room.”

Mazer said that, according to Celestine, Mettinger then made a derogatory racial remark to Celestine, who is black.

“Mitch said he told Butch, ‘Please leave us alone,’ and then Butch slapped Mitch in the back of the head,” Mazer said.

Added Mazer: “I believe Butch went over to him (Celestine) to apologize.”

The fight lasted about a minute before Sheriff’s deputies and faculty from both schools were able to separate the antagonists.

White, who was at the game, related a different version of the fight.

“Two players chased Butch, and Butch ran from them,” White said. “Chad tackled one of their players to keep him from getting to Butch, and there was a fight there.”

Zeigler acknowledged that he tackled a Burroughs player, Marc Mead, but only after Mead “went after” Mettinger.

“Mettinger went up and shook Celestine’s hand and patted him on the butt,” Zeigler said. “Celestine said something to Butch and Butch said something back and then Celestine and another guy went after Butch.

“I couldn’t get to Celestine, so I tackled the other guy and I guess I punched him a couple of times,” Zeigler said.

Campbell said he intervened at that point.

“I saw our two players running towards Mettinger,” Campbell said. “I ran over to break it up, but only got as far as where I saw a Canyon student pounding one of our players. He was beating him on the back of the head. I tried to pull him off and we fell to the ground. That’s when the punch was thrown at me. After he punched me, I kind of fell to the ground.”

Zeigler said he reacted instinctively, not maliciously.

“That coach pulled me off and pulled me to the ground,” Zeigler said. “I didn’t know who it was. The other coaches were wearing suits and this guy wasn’t. I didn’t know who he was, and I don’t even remember hitting him because everything happened so fast. When I saw that he was an adult, I just laid there.”

Campbell said he suffered cuts both inside and outside his mouth. He said a tooth was also jarred loose during the fight.

Said White: “The bottom line was that the coach got on top of Chad and then tossed him to the ground. Chad didn’t know who hit him. It wasn’t like Chad Zeigler went over to the coach and just punched him in the face.”

White said Zeigler, a junior, has no record of disciplinary problems at Canyon.

“If the kid is guilty, we’ll do whatever has to be done,” White said. “But we don’t want to crucify him either.

“We’re disappointed because there was even a fight at Canyon. That’s a little unusual at Canyon.”

Harry Welch, who coaches Zeigler on the school’s football team, said, “My experience with Chad is that he has always been exceptionally disciplined.

“To see him accused of this is a shock. If there is any validity in the charges, I would be very surprised.”

As far as Mettinger making a derogatory slur towards another athlete, Welch said, “I’ve never heard Butch say anything like that. I know him from the classroom and that would be way out of character for Butch Mettinger.”

Zeigler said he will meet today with school administrators.

“I’m sorry if I hit the coach, but I was defending myself,” Zeigler said. “And when I hit the kid I was just defending my friend. Celestine didn’t have any right to go after anybody.”