Hueneme Football Players to Be Punished

Larry Miller, Hueneme High’s first-year football coach, promises stiff punishment for members of his team following a brawl during the post-game handshake of Thursday’s season-ending game against Dos Pueblos at Hueneme.

In addition, in the final minute of the game, two Hueneme players fought among themselves.

On Monday, Miller said he will recommend that at least two Hueneme players be suspended from school for an undetermined amount of time. One of those players will face a possible ban from Hueneme athletics for the rest of the academic year, Miller said.

“We’re going to take a stand against this,” said Miller, whose team lost the Channel League game, 35-28. “We’re trying to turn this (program) around and we don’t want opposing teams or fans to think they can’t feel safe at our football games.”

Miller estimated the scuffle lasted only three to four minutes, but added that “in a situation like that even a minute or two seems like an eternity.”

Miller admitted there was talk among Hueneme players of starting a fight before the team even took the field. However, Miller said his players told him the postgame fight began when a Dos Pueblos player punched Vikings in their stomachs while in the handshake line.

Miller added that coaches and administrators from the schools separated the players, and that a police cruiser drove up and down the field to ensure no further hostilities.

No one was hurt in the fight, Miller said.

“It was really just a big shoving match. How much can you do with equipment on?” Miller said.

With 50 seconds left in the game, Hueneme’s Mike Baker and Vainku Solloway were escorted from the field by officials for arguing among themselves, and the two seniors continued to fight on the sidelines, Miller said.

Miller expressed relief that certain senior members of his team will not return next season.

“I’m extremely disappointed . . . but the guys involved were seniors from a different regime,” he said. “We expected them to be leaders and it didn’t work out, so we’re glad they’re leaving. We’re going to hold them up and make examples of them.”