Gunfire Ends Alabama High School Football Game Early

Lanett, LaFayette halted as gunfire erupts during halftime outside stadium

City of Spartanburg police cruiser / Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Gunfire outside an Alabama high school football stadium put an end to a contest between Lanett High School and LaFayette High School Friday night.

According to a report by AL.com, both teams were in the locker room during the intermission between the end of the first half and start of the second half.

“It was a scary deal,” Lanett head coach R.J. McDonald told the website. “It happened at halftime. All of our boys were in the locker room, and all of their boys were in their locker room.”

Long-time Alabama Rivals Set to Consolidate in Near Future

Lanett was declared the winner of the long-standing rivalry game between Alabama high schools. The Panthers were leading at the half, 36-0, as they are now 4-1 on the year and 2-0 in regional play. LaFayette fell to 2-3 overall and 0-3 in the region.

The two schools, who are located some 12 miles apart in Chambers County, have played since 1927. However, they are now set to consolidate by 2028-29. The consolidation move has been delayed before.

D. Mark Mitchell posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that one person was seriously injured outside of the stadium. The shots fired were at a house close to the field, and no players or coaches were injured during the incident.

According to Lanett 🏈 @CoachMcDonald_1 shots were fired at a house close to stadium
Causing chaos inside Bulldog Stadium..
NO player or coach was injured.
One person seriously injured outside the stadium. @LanettPantherFB wins game https://t.co/1FT880NX44

— D. MARK Mitchell (@ONTHEDMARK1) September 20, 2025

Lanett travels to Handley next Friday while LaFayette plays host to Red Level that same night.

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