Opponent cancels Friday's game after incident on September 6

NORTH COLLEGE HILL, Ohio – North College Hill High School football coach Greg Conwell said Friday's home game against Miami Valley Christian Academy will not take place after the MVCA decided Wednesday not to play the Trojans.

The decision came less than a week after NCH's game against Cincinnati Country Day was abruptly ended when shots were fired near North College Hill football stadium.

Conwell and NCH athletic director Rayshawn Walton said the Trojans likely won't have a game this Friday night.

“We are ready to do our best,” Walton said.

Messages left with Miami Valley Christian Academy's athletic department were not immediately returned.

NCH's Sept. 6 game was halted midway through the third quarter after shots were fired near an apartment complex on Bising Avenue across from the stadium, police said.

In a joint statement Tuesday, North College Hill City Schools and the North College Hill Police Department said the athletic department has implemented appropriate precautions and procedures to ensure the safety of all attendees at its sporting events.

Among the policies in place, according to the joint statement, are that an administrator must be present at each entrance to the stadium, students in grades K-8 must enter the game accompanied by their parents, no bags are allowed inside (if a bag is required, it will be thoroughly searched), no re-entry into games is permitted, and the visiting team will be escorted by police/administrators.

The joint statement said the September 6 shooting was not aimed at the stadium or at anyone in the stadium. The shots were also not fired on school grounds, the statement said.

The status of the NCH vs. Cincinnati Country Day game has not changed. Cincinnati Country Day led NCH 28-20 before the game was called off.

Conwell said NCH owns the football and the Trojans would like to resume play at some point. Walton confirmed NCH's intention to resume play.

“We want to play the quarter and a half,” Walton said.

Dennis Coyle, Cincinnati Country Day coach and the school's athletic director, said the school focuses on student-athletes.

“There is no decision at this time on whether the NCH game will be rescheduled – we will look at that in the coming weeks,” Coyle wrote in a text message. “But right now our focus is on CCPA (Cincinnati College Preparatory Academy) and the mental health of the kids.”

Cincinnati Country Day (2-0) hosts CCPA (3-0) on Friday night.

Conwell told WCPO 9 on Sept. 7 that there was an unfortunate incident at the Week 3 game and he was glad everyone involved in the game was safe. Conwell said he stressed to NCH student-athletes that the football program always tries to be a positive reflection of the community.

He said NCH student athletes would be “punished” by the cancellation of this week’s game.

Regular season football games are important because the computer points determine the Ohio High School Athletic Association's rankings for the postseason.

“We have the ambition to reach the playoffs,” said Conwell.

The next game against Woodward (0-3) is scheduled for September 20th between North College Hill (0-2) and MVCA (1-2). The next game against Manchester (2-1) is scheduled for September 20th.

North College Hill and MVCA are members of the Miami Valley Conference, but the game scheduled for this Friday was not considered a conference game. MVCA is in the MVC Gray Division, while NCH is in the Scarlet Division. The game would not have counted toward the teams' league standings.

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