PINE BLUFF, Ark. – Officials said 35 high school football players face suspension following a Friday night football game in Pine Bluff.

The game was played at Pine Bluff High School on Oct. 6. Pine Bluff High School Zebras hosted the Mills University Studies High School Comets, with Mills winning the game 24-21 in overtime.

After the game, tensions flared, and several players on both teams started fighting. This incident resulted in the suspension of 23 Pine Bluff players and 12 players from Mills.

The suspension is a one-game suspension. Pine Bluff next plays White Hall on Oct. 13. Mills will play Joe T Robinson on Oct. 20.

FOX 16 News asked people in Pine Bluff if they agreed with the punishment and there were two different feelings.

One lady we spoke with agreed, while one man said he “don’t think anybody should have been suspended.”

He said the fight was just an example of an intense game of football.

“The comradery of being on a team is just like the military, if one is in trouble, all of us in trouble,” he said.

“Kids are really getting ridiculous and I blame the parents,” the woman said.

The Arkansas Activities Association released a statement on the incident.

After a diligent review of all of the video available, it is evident that the actions of students from both schools were integral in the initiation of the altercation that occurred between the two teams following the conclusion of the game. The video, while not clear enough to identify all participants, proves that many students on each team participated in the altercation or to some degree contributed to the escalation of the altercation.

School district administrators and coaches from each school met with the AAA staff to review the video footage and were able to positively identify the majority of the individuals involved in the altercation or who contributed to the escalation of the altercation. These students will be disciplined according to policies of the AAA Sportsmanship Manual.”

Arkansas Activities Association