‘Shooting threat’ forces N.J. football teams to postpone game
Teaneck (N.J.) High and Demarest (N.J.) High assumed their football game on Saturday night would go off without a hitch. But everything changed for the northern New Jersey schools when they returned to their respective locker rooms following pregame warm-ups and were informed the game would have to be postponed.
According to NorthJersey.com and other local outlets, the game between Teaneck and Demarest was called just 15 minutes before kickoff after Teaneck police received info regarding a "shooting threat" that made it necessary to call the game and move it to Sunday.
"It wasn't just the incident, but the fashion in which we learned," Demarest football coach Tony Mottola told NorthJersey.com. "We were just about to get our kids on the field when we were told it was postponed."
Police officials wouldn't confirm who made the threat, but Teaneck athletic director Todd Sinclair told the Associated Press the threat and its target were "credible," which leads you to believe the schools made the right decision to move the game.
With an increased police presence on Sunday afternoon, and only 20 percent of the fans returning for the game, the contest went off without a hitch, with Demarest dominating play from the first whistle to win going away, 34-14.
The good news is there were no issues the second time around. You hate to see games postponed, but when there's a credible shooting threat -- even though we're not quite sure what that means -- the prudent thing to do is halt the game and move it to another day. Teaneck made the right call.
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