A shooting during the fourth quarter outside the Ben Davis football stadium during the Giants’ Oct. 1 game against Carmel creates questions about the safety for fans attending high school football games, including those hosted by the Irish at Arlington Middle School. 

Although the Irish football team was far away, beating Cincinnati (Ohio) La Salle 35-7, the incident still hit close to home. Athletics Director Mr. Rick Streiff wrote in an email, “It is very unfortunate that (the shooting) took place. Those involved had nothing to do with either school. It ruined a very competitive game between two excellent schools.”

Streiff acknowledged the situation, saying, “(There are) always concerns when you bring several thousand people together no matter where the venue is.” 

The football team plays most games at Arlington Middle School, and the location has proved to be very safe, according to Streiff. He said, “In my time as AD and coach, we have not had any issue (at Arlington).”

However, the home game on Oct. 15 will be held at Arlington. The team faces Center Grove in what is widely regarded as the most important regular season game of the year in Indiana. Because of the game’s status and interest among fans, Streiff was already putting more security in place. He said, “We were planning on more security before (the shooting) took place just based on the number of people we expect to come to the Center Grove game.”

In the aftermath of the shooting, Streiff gave reassurance to those who may be worried about their safety at football games, saying, “We always have a police presence at all athletic functions that bring that many people together.”