29 Pierce Players Face Reprimand, Suspension for Role in Fight : College football: Altercation involving Brahma quarterbacks’ supporters prompted team members to charge into stands at end of game at Bakersfield.

Twenty-nine Pierce College football players will be reprimanded by the Western State Conference for their actions at the end of Saturday’s Pierce-Bakersfield game at Memorial Stadium in Bakersfield.

Bill Norton, Pierce’s first-year coach, made the announcement Wednesday after discussing the incident with WSC officials and Pierce administrators earlier this week.

Norton also said the school has suspended the players from two days of practice next week.

The game, which Bakersfield won, 23-7, ended in bizarre fashion. With less than a minute left, Claudia Parra, 16, the younger sister of Pierce reserve quarterback Cesar Parra, got into a fight in the stands with Stacy Heinrich, 19, the girlfriend of Joe Pica, Pierce’s starting quarterback.

According to witnesses, Augusto Nelson, 16, a friend of the Parra family, tried to break up the fight. But when Pica saw his girlfriend in an altercation, he and lineman Charles Gietzen ran into the stands and struck Nelson several times.

Other members of the Parra family tried to break up the fight between Pica and Nelson, resulting in a large group of Pierce players racing into the stands. Pierce coaches then went into the stands and broke up the fight. Only Pica and Gietzen from Pierce were involved in any fighting, Norton said.

The only apparent injury was suffered by Nelson, who sustained several welts on his face.

The fight started after members of the Parra family reportedly made disparaging remarks about Pica, who was suffering through a poor performance in which he completed only three of 11 passes for 20 yards. A witness then said Heinrich made a derogatory racial remark about the Parras, who are of Mexican descent, and the melee ensued.

No charges have been filed, Sgt. Alan Zachary of the Bakersfield Police Department said Wednesday.

“To lose a game is one thing, but to have players going into the stands is another,” Norton said after the game. “You never want to see that, but, to be honest with you, if I looked up in the stands and saw my wife in a fight, I would sure as hell go up there to defend her.

“The unfortunate part of the whole incident is that (Joe and Cesar) have handled the situation between themselves beautifully this season,” Norton said.

Pica, a sophomore from Palmdale High, and Parra, a freshman from Van Nuys High, split time for the first six games this season. Parra played the entire game in a 21-12 victory over West L. A. on Nov. 2, completing two of six passes for nine yards.

“I felt like I had to pick one guy to go with for the rest of the season after that,” Norton said. “I picked Joe.”

Parra’s mother, Margarita, accused Norton of being a racist after Pierce played Valley on Nov. 16 and echoed those sentiments Saturday. Norton denied the accusation.

“I coached at St. Paul (High from 1974-76) when it was 100% Mexican, and when I coached at Bishop Montgomery (1977-83), it was 50%,” Norton said. “Ask my players. I don’t see color. I see performances.”

Pierce (7-2-1) will end its season Dec. 7 against Moorpark (8-2) in the Western State Bowl.