This year, Center Grove High School increases security for its high school football games

Greenwood, Indiana – This year, the high school football games will have more security thanks to the Center Grove Community School Corporation.

The action is being taken in response to an upsurge in violence during extracurricular events that has been occurring at many schools in central Indiana in recent years.

On Friday night, hundreds of people poured into Ray Skillman Stadium to find new security protocols in place.

This is not an extremely unusual occurrence. Center Grove High School’s athletic director Joe Bronkella stated, “A lot of the locations we visit also follow these same protocols, including a lot of the state championship venues.”

This year, at games, spectators are asked to utilize clear bags or little clutches.

After attending a conference, the district stated, officials decided to bring Center Grove up to speed with what many other schools and sporting events in central Indiana currently do. As a result, they implemented the new transparent bag policy.

According to Bronkella, “It’s always great to have a good plan in place so we do have the steps done and know exactly what to do and where to go if we do have an emergency procedure occur with an evacuation or whatever may happen.”

Following a series of incidents at extracurricular and athletic events, more high schools in central Indiana have increased security for both school-wide events and extracurricular activities in recent years.

A shooting occurred at a Ben Davis football game in 2021. A gunshot occurred in the Lawrence Central parking lot in December 2023, right before a basketball match between Lawrence Central and Lawrence North.

Nobody desires that. Ben Davis was against it. Lawrence North didn’t want it, Jake Stiles, a fan of Center Grove High School, said. “Having kids and opposing fans—whether they are coming to us or going somewhere else—means that you can never be too safe. Any kind of safety precaution is a good thing.”

Fans also stated that maintaining Friday night football’s core values of food, family, and pleasure is what matters most.

Mother Norma Scifres of Center Grove High School said, “I would just prefer to take the safety measures and do what needs to be done because I feel bad whenever there’s any sort of violence at a game.”