MUSKEGON, Mich. — Some parents at Orchard View High School are upset after several videos went viral showing a fight between the school’s basketball team and Oakridge High School’s team.
The fight happened on Friday at Oakridge High School.
Orchard View High School parent Lakiyia Briggs says she was at work when she started receiving several videos of the fight.
Her son was playing that night and she says he was hit multiple times during the game.
“My stomach was in knots because I'm like, What am I gonna like, what am I gonna do? I'm here, he's there,” said Briggs.
Briggs says this fight didn't start out of nowhere. She says the schools are rivals and the tension on the court began during the junior varsity game.
Then during the varsity game, she says players were shoving and hitting each other, fans were yelling out discriminatory statements and eventually a fight broke out.
She says players got so physical at one point, that her son’s medical device that he uses was cut off from the impact of being hit.
She even claims parents from Oakridge jumped in and attacked players.
13 ON YOUR SIDE reached out to both schools and Orchard View Schools Superintendent Jim Nielsen AND Oakridge Schools Superintendent Tom Livezey released a joint statement, saying “Good sportsmanship is at the heart of high school athletics. A few of our student-athletes fell short on this ethos on Friday. Both districts are focused on appropriate accountability. We place no blame on either district. We must do better. We appreciate the student-athletes and fans who did not engage in unsportsmanlike behavior. “
But parents like Kim Noordhoek say this problem has been going on for years and it's both district's fault that this fight broke out.
“I blame Oakridge and OV staff as well because they should have stopped the game. I mean, why are they going to keep letting our players get into these situations,” said Noordhoek
Parents say the teams should no longer play each other.
“I absolutely think that Oakridge and Orchard View should cease ties at this at this very moment, there should be no reason that we should ever meet up in any type of athletic event at all,” said Briggs.
Some students have since been suspended.
According to the Oakridge High basketball schedule. The teams are scheduled to play each other again next month. There is no word if the game will be canceled or not.
13 ON YOUR SIDE has reached out to the Muskegon County Sheriff's Office, which patrols Oakridge Schools. No charges have been announced at this time.
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