Violence Becomes Part of the Game : High schools: Altercations during and after games have increased dramatically in recent years, locally and nationwide.

Scott McCorkle of Capistrano Valley High School and Eric Cramer of Mission Viejo both wanted the loose ball Friday night.

With 3 minutes 49 seconds left to play, possession of the ball was important to McCorkle. And it was an absolute necessity to Cramer, whose team was trailing by 12 points.

McCorkle got the ball.

Cramer got McCorkle.

In just a few seconds--the time it took for Cramer to slap at the ball and hit McCorkle in the face--the rivalry between the two schools went from heated to violent.

Incidents such as Friday night’s fight are no longer out-of-the ordinary; they have increased locally and nationwide. Now, they often involve fans as well as players--the fight in the Capistrano Valley-Mission Viejo game involved players from both teams and approximately 25 fans.

It was the second altercation in as many games involving Capistrano Valley. Two nights earlier, the Cougars’ game against San Clemente was interrupted by a fight between players. The fight also was reported to involve a San Clemente fan.

“We’re the bad boys of the league and sometimes we have to defend ourselves,” McCorkle said.

In theory, high school athletics are based on sportsmanship. Play hard, but play fair and then shake hands when the game is done.

But too often these days, hotter heads have prevailed. Administrators and coaches believe the time has come to re-emphasis sportsmanship.

“I think we take it for granted and assume everyone will buy into the idea of sportsmanship,” said Corona del Mar principal Tom Jacobson, president of the Southern Section’s executive committee. “In doing that, we’ve kind of let it slip away.”

There have been seven major incidents during or after high school games in the Southern Section this season, a significant rise, according to Dean Crowley, the section’s associate commissioner. Of the seven, four have been in Orange County, including the fight in the Capistrano Valley-Mission Viejo game.

--On Oct. 28, the football game between Brea-Olinda and Sonora was called with 1:08 left because of a fight between players.

--On Jan. 12, there was a fight between Servite fans and St. Paul players after a game at Servite.

--On Jan. 12, a referee was allegedly assaulted by an adult after a basketball game between Fullerton and Sunny Hills.

There have other violent incidents throughout the Southern Section.

In October, two officials were attacked by three Palmdale players during a football game. In November, the Hemet-Perris football game was stopped with 35 seconds left because of a fight between players. In December, two officials were allegedly attacked by three Victor Valley basketball players.

“The number of ‘isolated incidents’ in the Southern Section is disturbing,” Jacobson said. “There has been more violence in the last two or three years than I can ever recall. It used to be rare when kids got into a fight during a game. Now we have adults hitting other adults.”

Nationwide, high school administrators share Jacobson’s concerns. “The models we have on television are not very good,” said John Roberts, commissioner of the Michigan State High School Athletic Assn. “We have painted faces and stalking coaches. That’s not a very good model for the education of high school athletes.”

Most administrators and coaches interviewed for this story said part of the reason for the increase in violence is the influence of professional sports.

With the increased coverage of professional sports, high school athletes have been able to see more games in the past 10 years. They follow their favorite players and teams closely and mimic the pro players--for better or worse.

McCorkle’s reference to the Cougars being the “bad boys” of the South Coast League is not an original moniker. It’s the same label the NBA Detroit Pistons have carried and publicized in recent years.

“In the pros, they always talk about certain players being enforcers,” said former Sonora football Coach Larry Allen, who resigned after last season. “Kids like that type of title. A player, especially one who may not be a gifted athlete, sees this and adopts it. It gives him a role on the team.”

Some athletes said intimidating opponents is part of the game, especially in football. They said it’s appropriate, more so if the opponent tries the same tactic.

During a football game between Capistrano Valley and El Toro last fall, Cougar defensive lineman Damon Psaros was ejected for pushing an opponent after the whistle had blown. Psaros said he was hit late and was only retaliating.

Although Psaros said he deserved an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, he said he shouldn’t have been thrown out of the game.

“Any good football player would have reacted the same way,” Psaros said. “I pride myself on not being embarrassed during a game. Usually if an opponent does something, you have to retaliate. You don’t see many players get hit in the head and walk away without doing anything.”

The efforts to intimidate an opponent have gone to extremes during the past few years. In 1988, St. Paul quarterback Greg Willig was punched before the coin toss by a Bishop Amat player.

Such actions can give an athlete status among his peers, according to Psaros.

“If you hit an opponent, you’re perceived as being tough by your friends,” he said. “Even more so if you were the one who initiated it.”

The intimidation of opponents has not been limited to football.

This season, there have been 19 incidents in basketball games reported to Southern Section, ranging from coaches being ejected to fights between players.

In Orange County, fights have been reported at games between Fullerton and Western, El Modena and Villa Park, Laguna Hills and Estancia and Mission Viejo and Dana Hills, as well as the incidents involving Capistrano Valley.

In 1985, boys’ soccer also has been singled out by officials and was even put on probation by the Southern Section after more than 100 incidents the previous year. In recent years, officials also have considered putting baseball and boys’ basketball on probation.

“Everything, I mean everything, comes down to the coach,” Southern Section Commissioner Stan Thomas said. “If he has a positive influence on his team, they exhibit good sportsmanship. But we have some coaches who are so intense, so into the game, that they reduce themselves to the same level as the people in the stands or the kids doing the fighting.”

Richard Lister, a clinical sports psychologist in Costa Mesa, agreed. “A sports team generally typifies the personality of the coach,” Lister said. “Some coaches may merely be aggressive, but there is a fine line between controlled aggressiveness and violence. Young men in that 16-17 age bracket don’t have the maturity and they cross that line.”

Lister said that parents too, take their lead from the coach. The more vocal the coach, the more unruly the parents.

“A coach with a (John) McEnroe mentality, always jumping up and down and screaming at the refs, gets everyone in a frenzy,” Lister said.

With the increase of walk-on coaches, the majority of whom are not teachers, Jacobson said it’s important to re-emphasize those goals constantly.

“You have a lot of coaches who are not savvy to the school scene,” Jacobson said. “A high school is a busy place, but you have to take time out to focus on sportsmanship. We want to get the word out.”

But the word, according to Dr. Jonathan Brower, is winning. And winning by any means.

Brower, who is a professor of sociology at Cal State Fullerton, has previously done a study on Little League baseball. He said that many of his findings also hold true for high school athletics.

“The way sports work, whatever you can get away with is OK,” he said. “In almost any high school football game, there is an act of violence that goes beyond the scope of the game. Maybe it’s twisting a guy’s knee after tackling him. It doesn’t appear to be a big deal, but it’s still doing more than what’s allowable under the rules. You’re expected to cheat.”

That attitude also can carry over to the crowd.

In October, two officials were attacked by Palmdale football players during a game against Saugus. The players were charged with misdemeanor battery and pleaded no contest.

Two months later, two basketball officials were allegedly attacked by Victor Valley players after a disputed call that cost the Jackrabbits a victory against Damien. This month, referee Mike Dias allegedly was attacked by a Sunny Hills fan following a game against Fullerton. Sunny Hills Principal George Giokaris declined to comment because he was still investigating the case.

Southern Section officials said they also had no comment because they were awaiting Giokaris’ report.

“I think booster clubs have put pressure on schools to win and coaches have stressed winning so much that an official’s call means more these days,” Jacobson said. “Everyone is striving to win at all costs.”

The chances of fan violence at a football game, at least toward officials and players, remains slim. However, violence involving crowds at basketball games have increased, according to most principals interviewed for this story.

“In football, you have a natural barrier where fans can’t get onto the field,” Foothill Principal Jim Ryan said. “In basketball, you step out of the stands and you’re on the court. Fans are usually packed into small gymnasiums. They are close to the action and close to each other.”

Student rooting sections have increased the intensity at games, according to Ryan. Their antics, which have been taken from televised college games, have caused problems, he said.

St. Paul basketball Coach Mark Dinneen said that when the Swordsmen played at Servite there were derogatory banners. He also said students, who had painted their faces with Servite colors, were shouting ethnic slurs throughout the game.

After the game, the Servite fans came onto the court and a fight broke out between them and the St. Paul players.

“They came onto the court like they had won the Southern Section championship,” Dinneen said. “Our players got caught in the middle of it and were knocked down. They were forced to defend themselves.”

Several principals have taken steps to control their school’s student section.

Capistrano Valley Principal Tom Anthony has banned four students from attending all athletic events and four others from attending basketball games because of their behavior as fans.

Anthony has suspended at least two students for their part in the brawl last Friday in the Mission Viejo game.

Local and national organizations also have begun to address the problem of violence.

The National Federation created a committee on sportsmanship, ethics and integrity last summer. The committee sent a packet last month to the federation’s membership, advising administrators on how to prevent and deal with problems at athletic events.

The Southern Section has scheduled a symposium on sportsmanship Feb. 7 and has asked Roberts to give the keynote address. Roberts gave a similar keynote speech last summer at the National Federation’s convention, when it began its “Stand Up for Sportsmanship” drive.

Roberts said he has been asked to give the same speech in 12 other states.

“We have to remember that high school athletics exist for the education of kids, not the winning record of the coach or the entertainment of people,” Jacobson said. “We have to make it a healthy experience for kids again.”

HIGH SCHOOL VIOLENCE IN 1989-90

Incidents of violence listed as “major” by the Southern Section at high school events during the 1989-90 school year:

Oct. 13--A football game between Palmdale and Saugus was stopped with 7 minutes 40 seconds left after referees were attacked by three Palmdale players.

Oct. 28--A football game between Brea-Olinda and Sonora was stopped with 1:08 seconds left after a fight between players, during which an official was tackled by a fan.

Nov. 10--A game between Hemet and Perris was stopped with 35 seconds remaining after a fight between players.

Dec. 6--Two referees allegedly were attacked by three Victor Valley basketball players after game against Damien.

Jan. 12--A fight broke out after a basketball game between Servite and St.Paul. One fan was taken to the hospital with a minor injury.

Jan. 12--A referee was allegedly attacked by a fan after a basketball game between Sunny Hills and Fullerton.

Jan. 26--A fight between players and fans with 3:49 seconds left in a basketball game between Capistrano Valley and Mission Viejo.