For many people in the South, Friday nights are synonymous with high school football.

Often, a teen’s first step toward social independence is attending those games to cheer on the home team with friends while Mom and Dad stay home.

But some parents may wonder if there’s as much danger in the stands as there is on the gridiron.

“There is such a big crowd that it’s a little scary to me,” says Angel Meyers of North Charleston. “It’s not my daughter I worry about. It’s the other people there. I let her go, but only with a group of friends.”

For many kids, going to a football game is not about what happens on the field. Instead, it’s about seeing friends and hanging out.

Sgt. Rick Peeples of the Summerville Police Department says high school football games in that tradition-laden municipality are “probably the safest place in town.”

There are typically at least 20 uniformed officers on duty at a game, plus a few others who are in plainclothes.

“We have plenty of manpower on hand to keep a good eye on the crowd,” he says. “And for the big games, such as Stratford or Fort Dorchester, we increase everything we’re doing.”

Officers try to keep kids from hanging out behind the bleachers or in other areas where they may cause trouble. They realize that many of the teens will not sit and watch the game.

“They hardly ever sit,” Meyers agrees. “They walk around, from one end of the field to the other the whole time. It seems to me there is often more drama on the sidelines than on the field. Sometimes I think the kids don’t watch a single play.”

David Spurlock, director of athletics, physical education and health for the Charleston County School District, says, “Absolutely, high school football games are a safe place. Going to watch football games should be part of the high school experience.”

He says that, in addition to at least four officers at every game in Charleston County, school personnel are on hand at the games to keep an eye on activities.

“The game is always patrolled by the athletic director, and there are many administrators there who are in charge of the event, and they certainly want everything to come off well,” Spurlock says. “They all keep a very close eye on things.”

But he acknowledges that’s no guarantee of a child’s safety.

“You can have 50 police officers there, but something can always happen,” Spurlock says. “Just like something can happen when you go to the mall.”

Often, if there is trouble at a game, it is not caused by current students of the schools competing. When rivalries heat up, tensions rise. But the fights that break out are more often between dropouts, former students and, occasionally, adults.

“About the most serious thing we’ve seen in the two years I’ve been doing this is fights between nonstudents,” Peeples says.

There are also occasional drug or alcohol busts, but those are rare.

“We’ve really had nothing really serious,” he says. “Parents can feel safe letting their children go to games.”

Jill Murphy of Mount Pleasant agrees.

“I would rather let my child go to a high school football game than let him go someplace like the mall or (Mount Pleasant) Towne Centre on a weekend night,” she says. “High school football games are a contained environment with a fence around it.”

While that may be true, Spurlock cautions that “if a child has feet, he can leave a contained area.”

For that reason, parents are encouraged to set some ground rules before letting their children leave the house.

For instance, Debby Baynes lets her daughter go to games at West Ashley High School, but “only with very specific rules,” she says. “She is not allowed to go outside of the gates, she must answer her phone if called, she must check in with her (swim) coach who is there, and I drop off and pick up at the gate.”

Peeples says communication with parents is often the biggest problem.

“The main thing we have problems with is, if you are going to drop your child off, make sure to pick him up on time,” Peeples says.

Other tips Peeples offers:

• Designate a specific location to meet for pickup.

• Encourage your child to sit and watch the game and not just hang out.

• Make sure they don’t leave the game unsupervised.

“Once they leave the gate, we can’t keep an eye on them,” Peeples says.

Spurlock has an even better solution: Go to the game with your child.

“Please, parents, come to the ball game,” he says. “You don’t have to sit with your kid, but this should be a community event, where parents enjoy going to a ball game to support the school their child goes to.”

He points out that football games involve many more people than the team members. Bands, cheerleaders, pep clubs and parent support groups also contribute to the evening.

“There are so many efforts wrapped around a ball game,” he says. “These kids are all working very hard. We need kids who are doing the right thing to be supported.”

Source: The Post and Courier