Fights broke out between students after the rivalry boys varsity basketball game between the Walter Johnson High School (WJ) Wildcats and the Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School (BCC) Barons on Jan. 17.
Three male students were arrested following “several altercations” between students, according to the Montgomery County Police Department.
There were also multiple accounts of BCC students jumping WJ students leaving the game and at least one WJ student was assaulted and suffered injuries. This was confirmed by WJ administrators.
“We had extra security there, you know we don’t often send security to away games, but we sent security and we sent two administrators,” Baker said.
Tensions were already rising the week before the game as vandalism had been reported at both schools with the opposing school suspected to be the culprit. The graffiti cost both schools money as buildings for both schools and BCC’s electronic sign had been vandalized.
According to county officials and WJ’s principal Jennifer Baker, the school’s senior shed, where it is a tradition for all the seniors to sign their names, was vandalized. Later in the week, graffiti appeared on BCC’s electronic sign and part of the school. Baker said it was presumed that the opposing school’s students were responsible for both graffiti incidents, but it was never confirmed.
The Wildcats and the Barons were also scheduled to play the following Friday at WJ with a 6 p.m. start time. The WJ administration flipped the start time with that of the Junior Varsity game and then moved both games up half an hour, so the game would tip-off at 3:30 p.m.
Baker confirmed this was in response to the altercations that broke out at the game on Jan. 17. Montgomery County Police sent many officers to ensure that this game went more smoothly. WJ students also had to wait for BCC students to exit the gym before they could and were not allowed to storm the court after the game.
In the second game, the Wildcats avenged their one-point loss a week earlier by winning 71-47.
“The way we gave away the first game having a 10-point lead with five minutes left, after the game everyone was heartbroken, so we knew going into the second game we just had to work even harder and make sure we dominated them in this [the second] game,” WJ junior and point guard Zach Miller said.“For the team, it was more about basketball because we didn’t want to get caught up in the events that happened after the game.”
Because of the heavy security precautions and low BCC student turnout, the time after the game was uneventful. Multiple BCC students confirmed that earlier in the week they had heard their peers were planning to boycott the game.
Baker was very pleased with how the second game went and hopes that WJ and BCC will not have to deal with events similar to the incidents after the first game ever again.
“We do try to plan for students’ safety, and we try to plan fun events. That’s what we want. We just want you guys to have fun,” Baker said.
Article by Jackson Buss of Walter Johnson High School