MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis-Shelby County Schools is looking at limits on ticket sales and more security at future games after several fights broke out Friday night during the Southwind High School and Germantown High School football game at Southwind.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called to several fights in the stands during the game. Deputies worked the game alongside district security staff and the Tennessee Highway Patrol, and the agencies stepped in on each incident and got the situation under control as it happened. No arrests were made, the sheriff’s office said.
District leaders pushed back on accounts of one big brawl. Their review found four to five separate physical altercations, and the people involved were walked out of the stadium after security officers and deputies broke up each one. The district also said students running through the crowd may have made the trouble look larger than it was.
Crowd size is the main concern. The district put attendance at more than 3,000 people, which made the rivalry game one of the most heavily attended events on its calendar this fall.
Options now on the table include capping ticket sales, putting more security at games and other steps to manage large crowds. The district has not said which of those measures it will adopt or when any change would start.
The district also did not say whether anyone was hurt or whether students face discipline.
For families planning to attend upcoming Memphis-Shelby County Schools games, that means ticket rules could tighten with little notice, especially for big rivalry matchups that draw thousands to a single campus stadium.
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