Semi Pro: Columbus Fire 8 Port City Spartans 0 (Game called in the third because of fighting)

 

Yesterday I drove to Portsmouth and met up with my friend Bill Norman after dinner at The Portsmouth Brewing Company before driving over to Spartan Stadium to watch the semi-pro football game and watch the Port City Spartans host the Columbus Fire. I have been to over 1,500 football games, or close to that amount, and I can say none of them prepared me for what I ended up seeing. The stadium had one set of lights that did not work at all that I had seen before (Jackson State University). One pole had a light missing, and another pole had one single light that did not work at all on the visitor's side, making the field dark. I saw a fan on the Spartans side of the field standing with the players vaping, and I saw a player setting on the bench for most of the game also vaping. The game itself was stopped once when the refs walked off the field for what one player on the Spartans said was because a Columbus player said something about going after the ref with a gun. Then a fight broke out in the parking lot, and the police had to come along with Shawnee State security. After that dust settled, the ref came back, and the game restarted with a lot of delays for fighting and bickering. Right after halftime, the players came back out, and each team ran a series. Then, in the third series, another stoppage because of a fight, the refs ended the game with the Fire leading 8-0 a few minutes after the last stoppage.

The only score of the game came on a fourteen-yard touchdown catch by #15 Delmarco Lee and a two-point run. The Pa Guy, who was a nice guy and a former coach, was not very active in updating the crowd as far as the plays went, and with no rosters available, his hands were tied as far as him being able to let the 57 (about half of those were small kids) or so fans who were in attendance know who was doing any play.

#5 Jalen King had a pick for the Spartans  #25 Bradley Booker had two picks for Columbus, with one coming on a fake punt. The online rosters were not 100% accurate or complete, so I am adding the number along with the player name they had in case the information is incorrect.

I will say that those dudes paying in this one were doing some hard hitting on defense when they were not fighting or arguing amongst themselves.

Unofficial stats

Spartans

27 Plays

19 yards (6 in the first half)

Passing 3-12 2 Int's

Fire

35 Plays

96 yards

Passing 5-16, 1 TD, 1 Int