CINCINNATI — Taft and Mount Healthy high schools have agreed to restrict attendance to Friday's football showdown after a Taft High School student was shot Thursday.
The shooting happened near Taft High School, in the 1400 block of John Street, just before 4 p.m. on Thursday; police said a 13-year-old boy was shot in the arm. He was taken to Cincinnati Children's Hospital and is expected to recover from the injury.
Friday morning, ahead of a non-conference matchup between Taft (Division IV) and Mount Healthy (Division II), a spokesperson for Mount Healthy schools said attendance for the football game will be limited.
Now, only parents and guardians of students and pre-approved adults will be allowed to attend the game — no students.
"This decision is a temporary measure to ensure a safe and controlled environment for everyone attending," said the Mount Healthy spokesperson. "We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we work to maintain the security of the game."
Fans supporting Mount Healthy High School should enter the game, held at Mount Healthy, through Adams Road and park near the baseball and softball fields. Fans rooting on Taft High School should park on the Hamilton Avenue side, near the Junior/Senior High School.
In collaboration with local law enforcement, and with the safety of our students, staff, and community as our top priority, we have made the decision to limit attendance for the upcoming football game against Taft on 9/13/2024. Attendance will be restricted to parents/guardians and pre-approved adults.
Police have not released any information on who may have shot the 13-year-old shortly after Taft High School dismissed for the day, but Cincinnati Public Schools said the high school will have additional security and counselors available during class Friday.
This isn't the first high school football matchup affected by violent crime this season.
Miami Valley Christian Academy backed out of its game against North College Hill High School one week after a shooting near NCH's stadium abruptly ended the school's game against Cincinnati Country Day. That shooting was isolated, outside the stadium and did not involve any students from either school.
Batavia also won't be facing down Shroder at Stargel Stadium Friday, as originally scheduled because of the shooting near Taft, teams announced Thursday. That game is instead rescheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday at Walnut Hills.
In Kentucky, the Bellevue High School football game scheduled for Saturday night at Lynn Camp High School in Corbin, Ky., has been canceled due to an ongoing manhunt for the suspect in a shooting on I-75 in Laurel County Sept. 7.
The matchup between Taft and Mount Healthy is the WCPO 9 Friday Football Game of the Week.
Mount Healthy (2-1) has won back-to-back games after it lost the season opener to West Clermont, a Division I program, by two points (20-18) Aug. 23.
Mount Healthy rallied from a 10-0 second quarter deficit last week to defeat visiting Wilmington 19-13.
“I liked that we had to fight and claw for a win,” Mount Healthy coach Jordan Stevens said. “Wilmington is a tough opponent every year and I loved that we didn’t quit. This week we’ve emphasized just stacking days and getting better. As long as we’re getting better each day and each game then that’s all we can do.”
Taft has a 3-0 record for the first time the 2020 season. The Senators is trying to earn a 4-0 record for the first time in 30-plus years, according to Taft athletic director Austin Gullett.
“I’m most excited about our effort,” Williams said. “Our effort has been great. We haven’t let up. We haven’t taken any team lightly. We don’t care about their record. We don’t care about stars, rankings or anything. We’re treating every game like a state championship.”
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