Waukegan and North Chicago forfeit Week 2 games — and try to move forward — after fight ends season opener

Zach Carr’s first game as Waukegan’s coach had consequences beyond the team’s loss.

As a result of the fight that cut short the Bulldogs’ season opener at North Chicago on Aug. 25, each school has decided to forfeit its Week 2 game on Friday.

“Our kids lost discipline at the end of the game,” Carr said. “That’s what happened. We talked this week how, in the grand scheme of things, it’s the situation where individuals don’t get remembered, but when you hear ‘Waukegan,’ everyone knows.

“What we did hurt the name of Waukegan. We’re trying to restore the name of Waukegan.”

Down 14-0, Waukegan was driving when a fight broke out on the field following a late hit with 1:13 remaining. The game was stopped, and North Chicago got the win.

After taking this week off, the Bulldogs will play at Lake Forest on Sept. 9, as scheduled, according to the Waukegan school administration.

Keith Turner, North Chicago’s athletic director and an assistant principal, said the Warhawks also “plan on playing” at Grayslake Central on Sept. 9.

“The decision was made by my district and myself to forfeit our next game,” Turner said. “We want to help our kids and our supporting staff while having accountability for our actions.

“We would like to continue to work with Waukegan. They did a great job de-escalating the situation. Our kids and Waukegan are one. A lot of our kids go to their school and vice versa. We have a great working relationship and also relating to each other’s community. The overall goal is developing character in our student population. The coaches understand that.”

Carr said his program, which has nearly 60 players, has spent the past several days in the Waukegan community.

“We’ve not been practicing but rather working on community services this week to repair the damage,” Carr said. “We’ve been out the last couple of days walking around different parts of Waukegan and cleaning it up. We’re working on community (projects). We plan on making apologetic videos we plan on putting out, with clips and interview pieces from a few guys on the team.”

Carr said the fight was particularly frustrating because there were just 73 seconds left to play. He said the game had been moved up 90 minutes, from its originally scheduled 7 p.m. time slot to 5:30 p.m., to avoid any potential late-night problems.

“We only had a few plays left, so it made it even more disappointing,” Carr said. “Up until that point, it was a clean game without even many penalties.”

Carr, an assistant last season, said Waukegan’s varsity team is “80% sophomores” and that might have been a factor.

“Throughout the years, many have made it about them,” he said. “That’s how this happened. It’s not about you. We told them it’s about representing yourself, your family, the school and all of Waukegan. This group needs more time to mature. They have to realize they are not freshmen anymore.”

Turner said the disciplinary process for North Chicago players is ongoing and that the rivalry game will be considered on a year-to-year basis going forward.

“I have a good working relationship with the Waukegan staff,” Turner said. “I don’t want any situations between North Chicago and Waukegan to look bad, in both of our communities.

“Our football team is still practicing and working together on plans that can work to reconcile and make (them) understand the value of sportsmanship and community. I’m proud of our kids for taking accountability as well.”

Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.