VALDOSTA — On Friday night, the Lowndes High School football team watched their championship hopes dwindle to dreams as they were defeated by Grayson High School 17-7.

The defeat has not stopped local residents and Internet purveyors from talking about the conduct of the Lowndes High School football team during the quarterfinal game in Gwinnett County.

Several videos have been posted on YouTube, dissecting and detailing what some have deemed as unsportsmanlike behavior of several of the Lowndes players.

In a written statement, Superintendent Dr. Steve Smith said: “I was at the game and on the sideline throughout the entire contest. The coaches, law enforcement personnel, the principal and I took appropriate action to bring the situation under control by getting our players back on the sideline. Needless to say, we are disappointed that some of our players entered the field of play in a manner that did not reflect true sportsmanship. Coach McPherson is a man of the utmost character. He has accepted full responsibility for our players leaving the bench and has given his assurance that our players and coaches will learn from this experience in order that this behavior will not be repeated. Football, like all sports, is similar to life. We have experiences that teach us valuable lessons in life, and this has been a learning experience. As we reflect on the 2008 season, I hope that we

will remember the many positive accomplishments from a Region 1-AAAAA Championship and a 12-1 record.”

In the e-mailed statement, Smith went on to say that most of the responses the system has received related to the game have come from people in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area.

Earlier in the day, head coach Randy McPherson said that his players’ emotions were running high during Friday night’s face-off.

“The ballgame was a real emotional game,” McPherson said. “We made some mistakes with our emotions. We let our emotions get away from us at

times.”

McPherson said he takes responsibility for the players’ behavior and that it will never happen again.

“There was some pushing and shoving at the end of the game, which I’m not proud of. Our players came off of the sideline. There wasn’t a fight or anything,” McPherson said. “We’re not proud of that. That’s not what we’re all about.”

McPherson hopes to take this game and use it as a learning tool for the Vikings, who had not lost a game since the 2007 season opener.

“In order to win, you’re going to have to go through adversity, and you’re going to have to learn how to deal with whatever comes in front of you... You’re going to have to not let it affect your play and your focus. That’s what it’s all about,” McPherson said.

Neither McPherson or Smith mentioned if any disciplinary action would be considered for senior Marcus Solomon who was ejected from the game

after being charged with a personal foul against a Grayson player with minutes left in the game, or if the Lowndes School System has issued an apology to players and coaches at Grayson.