A huge fight between two high school football teams in Ann Arbor sends a player to the hospital

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) - A massive fight on a high school football field had both teams throwing punches in Ann Arbor on Friday.  Things got so crazy that one player even went to the hospital for his injuries. 

Pictures from Ann Arbor.com show some of what happened during a huge fight on the field after the game between Ann Arbor’s Pioneer High School and Huron High School.  The teams should have been shaking hands and giving the usual good game, instead, coaches, players, and staff clashed at center field and started fighting. 

An athletic director had to stand between both coaches to try and break it up.   Crutches from a player recovering from knee surgery were even being used to hit people.  That’s how 16-year-old Will Harris got this gash to his face.  The junior at Huron High School had to have five stitches.  Emotions were running high after Pioneer beat Huron 35-6.  Varsity head coach Paul Test tells me they had a freshman come in as quarterback and wanted to give him some playing time, but he did not know they called for another long pass into the end zone.  When the coaches went to talk after that’s when the fight broke out. 

Coach Test would not go on camera, but told 7 Action News by phone, “I’m not proud of what happened.  I’m sad about what happened.  They’re high school kids.  Ultimately, I should have just let him (Coach Gildersleeve) stew in his anger and let it be.  I wanted to be a good sport and apologize for the long pass.”

When 7 Action News went to the phone Huron’s head coach Cory Gildersleeve’s home to ask about the fight, he would not go on camera.  He later released this statement by phone, “I’ve been given a directive from my administration not to comment until the investigation is complete. At that time Ann Arbor Public Schools will release a full report of their findings.”

The district also weighed in with this statement to 7 Action News that reads in part:

“The Ann Arbor Public Schools are extremely disappointed in the actions of both the staff and students involved in the altercation…we are cross town rivals but also we are cross town friends. This should never have
taken place.”  --Liz Nowland-Margolis, Director Of Communications, Ann Arbor Public Schools.

The school district and police are reviewing pictures and even videos of the game to determine if there will any disciplinary action taken or if charges will be brought against anyone.