The Victor Valley football team suspension has turned a rivalry win into a much bigger story. After Victor Valley beat Apple Valley 20-7 in the Bell Game on Friday, Sept. 11, the Victor Valley Union High School District suspended the varsity football team and coaching staff for one week after what it described as unsportsmanlike conduct.
District superintendent Carl J. Coles announced the punishment in a statement posted to Facebook on Sunday. The suspension applies to varsity members and coaching staff only and does not extend to lower-level teams.
What happened after the Bell Game?
The Bell Game is a rivalry high school football game between Victor Valley and Apple Valley, and the postgame scene drew the district's attention. A video posted by Chris Fore showed Victor Valley coaches and players celebrating on the field and several players appearing to head toward the Apple Valley stands after the game.
Coles said the district reviewed that conduct and decided it crossed a line. He said high school athletics are about far more than winning and losing, and stressed that competition should not come at the expense of character, sportsmanship, respect, or personal accountability.
“There is a clear line between passionate competition and unacceptable conduct,” Coles said, adding that the line was crossed at the Bell Game on Friday, September 11. He said members of the Victor Valley High School football team behaved in an unsportsmanlike manner toward the opposing team and its fans, including offensive gestures and language.
What the suspension means
The immediate consequence is straightforward: Victor Valley must forfeit its upcoming game against Brea Olinda this week. That makes the punishment more than symbolic, because it affects the team's schedule right away and removes the varsity program from competition for the week.
Coles also said the coaching staff and players will work with school leaders and district administrators over the next week to review the code of conduct. That suggests the district wants the suspension to be corrective as well as punitive.
Victor Valley is scheduled to return at home against Lancaster on September 25. Until then, the focus shifts away from the scoreboard and back to how the program responds to the district's standards.
Coles summed up the expectation in firm terms: “We expect our athletes to compete hard, but we also expect them to compete with class. We will win with humility, lose with dignity, respect our opponents, and control our conduct.”
