Renton, Tyee forfeit after football fight

The already troubled Seamount League got another black eye Friday when a mid-game fight broke out between football players from Renton and Tyee high schools at Neudorf Memorial Field in Tukwila, resulting in a double-forfeit and the ejection of 35 players.

"Apparently it was ugly and it's very upsetting to everyone in the Seamount League," Mount Rainier athletic director Darren Rawie said. "It's an embarrassment to the league and to the schools involved. No one feels good about it."

Tyee has since opted to forfeit the rest of the season — two games — due to a lack of eligible players. Catherine Carbone Rogers, Highline School District communication director, said Tuesday that the 20 Tyee players ejected for either fighting or leaving the Tyee sideline during the fight were suspended for two games — one more than the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association mandates. She said the decision was made by two of the school's athletic administrators, Jerry Turner and Rick Harwood. Turner earlier Tuesday verified that the ejections left the Totems with only about six eligible players.

Tyee is 0-6 in the Seamount League and overall, with a season-opening forfeit to Mount Rainier because of a lack of players. The Totems were scheduled to play Lindbergh (5-2, 5-1 Seamount) Friday and Hazen (3-4, 3-3) next week.

Renton (3-4, 3-3) had 15 players ejected for at least one game but will have enough players for Saturday's game against Evergreen of White Center (1-6, 1-5), according to sources directed by school administrators not to comment on the record. Apparently, some players face longer suspensions, which are being appealed, the sources said.

Renton's playoff chances could be impacted. It finishes the regular season against Highline (3-3, 3-3). The top four Seamount teams advance to the preliminary round of the Class 3A playoffs.

The Seamount League already was under scrutiny by the WIAA for excessive ejections over the past two seasons, according to Mike Colbrese, WIAA executive director. He said the WIAA Executive Board directed him to work with the league this season after at least four Seamount schools had players receive five or more ejections for two years in a row. Colbrese met with Seamount athletic directors a week and a half ago.

"I think the league is going to have to come to grips with the fact that they've got an issue, and I'm sure they will," Colbrese said, declining to identify the schools in question.

Colbrese said he could not immediately recall a similar altercation that resulted in a double-forfeit, "but that doesn't mean something like this hasn't happened before."

The fight broke out with about six minutes remaining in the second quarter of a penalty riddled game that Renton led 19-0.

Mike Gunn, a former Renton assistant coach who keeps statistics on the sideline for the Indians, said the brawl started after a Renton ball carrier was hit hard but cleanly and fumbled, with a Tyee player recovering in front of the Renton sideline. Pushing and shoving ensued, flags flew and players from both sidelines ran onto the field.

"There was laundry all over the field," Gunn said, referring to penalty flags.

But he said few punches were thrown.

"It was mostly a lot of pushing and shoving," said Gunn. "It only lasted maybe a minute and a half or two minutes. It's really not as bad as it seems. But anytime you have teams with guys leaving the bench, it's not good."

Officials called off the game, apparently in part because Tyee did not have enough players to continue after the ejections. Seamount athletic directors decided Tuesday that Renton should not be awarded a forfeit victory, under the circumstances, Rawie said.

Neither head coach could be reached for comment, although Friday night Renton coach Terry Metcalf told The Times, "A few players lost it, and they shouldn't have. I take it personally because it's a reflection on me."

This week's forfeit by Tyee left Lindbergh without an opponent for its homecoming football game. League athletic directors moved the Mount Rainier-Lindbergh girls soccer match from tonight to Friday at 7 p.m. at Renton Stadium to serve as the homecoming event.

"It's terrible for our kids and couldn't have happened at a worse time," said Lindbergh coach Dominic Yarrington, whose team is coming off a 49-21 loss to No. 6 Kennedy.

Yarrington is shaking his head over the events.

"Never in my life have I heard of this before," he said. "This is crazy. I can't believe it happened."

Sandy Ringer: 206-718-1512 or sringer@seattletimes.com