“It all happened so fast, one second we were on the bench, the next we were trying to defend our teammate. We weren’t going to let anyone treat one of us like that,” sophomore varsity boys basketball player Sonny Dua said after he, along with seniors Decedric Dillard and Damarion Feaster were ejected from their game against St. Pete Catholic on November 22.

     In the Chargers’ recent game against Bayshore Christian on December 2, the bench appeared barren as the team was missing these three players, key members of their offense. 

    The trio was ejected from their first game of the season after leaving the bench during a scuffle. After junior Edward Sax received an illegal contact foul, an opposing player appeared to shove him, prompting several Chargers and opposing Barons to rush the court. Dua, Dillard and Feaster were ejected from the remainder of the game against St. Pete Catholic and suspended for the following game.

     According to the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA), by rushing the court, the players were deemed a threat to the safety of other players, resulting in two technical fouls, an automatic ejection from the game, and a subsequent suspension. In all levels of basketball, leaving the bench during play is an automatic cause for ejection. Even if the players intended to break up a fight or defend their teammate, the referees are required to eject the players in accordance with the rules. 

     “It all happened really quickly; we were just confused about what happened,” Dua said.

     When the Barons player shoved Sax to the ground, the bench immediately cleared, despite Head Coach Allen Williams’ best efforts to keep everyone at bay.

     The referees then spent some time debating the situation, and ultimately decided to eject the three players and assign a technical foul and ejection to the Barons player.

     “We didn’t want to fight or anything,” Dua said, “We just wanted to make sure that Sax was okay and there wasn’t gonna be a fight or anything.” 

     The Chargers went on to lose the game 56-38. 

     “Without some starters, we struggled,” Dua said.

     The team was already missing two players, junior Ryan Worman and freshman Tsadowq YeshohaYHWH, to begin the game due to injury and prior commitment.

     The Chargers did bounce back, however, winning their next game against Bayshore Christian 86-23 despite missing the three suspended players.

     The players will likely need to be careful in games going forward, as repeated offenses can result in financial fines for themselves and the school, or further suspension, according to the FHSAA.