After violent incident, alleged anti-Semitic slurs, Carroll soccer forfeits state semi
Archbishop Carroll’s boys’ soccer team was scheduled to play in a Class 2A state semifinal on Saturday afternoon in Stuart against Pine School.
That game never happened after the Bulldogs forfeited following the violence that occurred postgame this past Wednesday night following their 2-1 win over Scheck Hillel in the Region 4-2A final.
Though details remain sparse, parents claim that students from Carroll, a Catholic school in The Hammocks, made anti-Semitic slurs, and even chanted “Hitler was right” to the players from Hillel, a Jewish school in Ojus, leading to a scuffle that left someone with a concussion.
Videos of the brawl later surfaced online, sparking outrage over the attack.
While no statement was made by the Florida High School Athletic Association specifying the reason for the forfeit, Pine School athletic director Jeff Shirk told TCPalm.com, the digital news site for Treasure Coast Newspapers, that the forfeit was agreed upon by Carroll in the wake of the incident.
Calls by the Miami Herald to Archbishop Carroll and the FHSAA were not immediately returned.
But the fact remains Carroll’s season is over with a 12-5 record, and Pine School by default advances to the Class 2A final next week in DeLand.
As for the incident, a Miami-Dade police spokesperson told the Miami Herald on Thursday that “it doesn’t appear” that the department responded to the scene on Wednesday. The spokesperson added that they “were looking further into it.”
Jim Rigg, Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Miami, said in a statement that “both schools are still completing their initial investigation.”
Rigg and Rabbi Ari Leubitz, the Head of School for Scheck Hillel, each addressed the incident stating that spectators rushed onto the field after the game, and there was an “altercation” between spectators and players. One of the spectators was injured and had to receive medical attention.
Rigg said the Archdiocese has a zero tolerance policy for aggressive language and behavior as well as for anti-Semitism and hate, and vowed to “take appropriate action” with the students involved.
This story was originally published February 18, 2023 at 11:26 PM.
