Duarte and Gladstone officials expected to meet today

If any disciplinary action is taken following Friday’s football game between Gladstone and Duarte high schools, which ended in a sideline-clearing brawl with 3:28 remaining and the Falcons leading 34-3, it will come today when officials from both schools meet.
Since it wasn’t a CIF-Southern Section playoff game, penalties are handled by the schools, not CIF.
“We’ve looked at the video and will meet with Gladstone (officials) on (Tuesday) to decide what action needs to be taken,” Duarte athletic director Robyn Garcia said. “Both principals will be at the meeting.”
Falcons coach Wardell Crutchfield, who exchanged heated post-game comments with Gladiators coach Albert Sanchez, apologized for his behavior on Monday.
“I’d like to say as a coach, I don’t think any of us wake up and say we want to have a fight at our game,” Crutchfield said. “It shouldn’t happen, period. Whether it was our fault or their fault, we both had a part in it and there’s no place for that in sports.
“I’d like to apologize to the Gladstone coaches, players and to our school and school district. Our kids are good kids, and their (Gladstone) kids are good kids. It’s something that never should have happened, and something that we as coaches need to make sure never happens again.

Note: Will update after officials decide what, if any, penalties should be handed out following Friday’s game.

Also, click thread to continue reading another unfortunate incident in El Monte

What should have been a huge celebration turned into a frightening scene following El Monte High School’s 22-21 victory over Baldwin Park on Friday, with the Lions winning on a two-point conversion with no time left to improve to 3-1.
Immediately following the action on an adjacent street across from the stadium, two men leaving the game were stabbed and hospitalized, according to officials from the El Monte Police Department.
Fans at the game couldn’t leave for more than 30 minutes while police cleared the area.
A 17-year-old boy from Montebello and a 21-year-old from Rialto were listed in stable condition late Friday, El Monte police Detective Ralph Batres reported.
The two victims left the game and were approached by seven gang members. The gang members began shouting their gang’s name and a fight began, Batres said.
One of the attackers, described as a Latino male, 15 to 16 years old, wearing a dark shirt and black shorts, pulled out a knife and stabbed both victims, Batres said.
The suspects, who are still at-large, escaped by running through a nearby parking lot, Batres said.
“Obviously there is still an investigation,” El Monte High School Principal Joel Kyne said. “It’s unfortunate, from what we know, the people involved in the attack are not from our area.
“This always has been a great place for high school football. We’ve never encountered a problem like this that I can recall.”
Kyne said there is always a police presence at all El Monte football games.
“We’ve got security all over the place inside the stadium and there are usually four El Monte police officers at the games,” Kyne said. “But when something like this happens, you have to re-address everything. If we have to beef up security outside the school, then we’ll do it.”
Lions coach Joel Sanchez said it took a few moments to realize what was going on.
“First, we hope that both (victims) come out all right,” Sanchez said. “It’s just unfortunate that it happened because it was a great night of football, and our parents should have been celebrating with our team instead of having to worry about what was happening outside.”
The Lions scored two touchdowns in the final six minutes to defeat the Braves on the game’s final play.
After the Lions scored to cut the Braves’ lead to 21-14, Sanchez told his assistant that if they scored on their final drive, he was going for the two-point conversion and the win.
On the two-point conversion, senior Luis Hernandez took a pitch from running back Luke Ayala and scored to win it.
“It was about showing our offense that we have confidence in them,” Sanchez said. “We weren’t going to have the great comeback, and then kick an extra point. Even if we would have lost, I would have been comfortable with the decision.”

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