Students from Rich Central and Rich South were involved in a recent brawl that put their schools in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons and left nearly a dozen students facing charges.
A sign of respect among rivals.
"We weren't trying to have any mess ups or any fighting or anything like that," said Rich Central's William Burton.
As Rich Central High School and Rich South High School face off on the gridiron in hopes of healing their community.
"It was a lot of tension going on (Saturday) because of the incidents that happened in the past, but I think both teams played real well," said Rich South's Tevin Sudduth.
It's the first football game between the competing suburban Chicago schools since a brawl broke out late last month between students from the two high schools.
"Regardless of a few ignorant acts, a community can come together and have a good time," said Rich Central coach Devon Westmoreland.
Parents, friends and supporters were able to attend the much-anticipated game after the school district reversed its decision banning all spectators from the stands citing safety concerns.
"No matter what's being said about the district or each school the schools are under one family the Rich District," said district board President Cheryl Coleman.
Despite extra security and teachers, about a dozen parents kept watch for any trouble.
"We have a lot of kids that went to private schools, that went to Yale, athletic scholarships, but we're not covering those things. So, I already want to kind of get away from that and get more so about the kids that are doing positive things and creating the leaders of tomorrow," said Rich Central parent Antoine Bass.
It was a September 30 brawl that caused the controversy.
It happened at Rich South after Rich Central students were bused to the school following a bomb threat.
The fire alarm was pulled once the other students arrived, and a massive brawl occurred between the students. Nearly a dozen students face criminal charges.
Although Rich Central beat Rich South, most everyone says there are no losers here because this game was about more than just football. It was about two schools from different communities coming together and supporting one another.
