Taft and Mount Healthy limit spectator numbers at Friday's football game after shooting

CINCINNATI – Taft and Mount Healthy high schools have agreed to limit the number of spectators at Friday's football game after a Taft High School student was shot on Thursday.

The shooting occurred just before 4 p.m. Thursday near Taft High School, in the 1400 block of John Street. Police said a 13-year-old boy was shot in the arm. He was taken to Cincinnati Children's Hospital and is expected to recover from the injury.

On Friday morning, a Mount Healthy schools spokesperson said before a nonconference game between Taft (Division IV) and Mount Healthy (Division II) that spectators at the football game would be limited.

From now on, only parents and guardians of students and pre-approved adults will be allowed to attend the game – no students.

“This decision is a temporary measure to ensure a safe and controlled environment for all visitors,” the Mount Healthy spokesperson said. “We thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we work to maintain the safety of the game.”

Mount Healthy High School fans should enter the game, which will be held in Mount Healthy, via Adams Road and park near the baseball and softball fields. Taft High School fans should park on the Hamilton Avenue side near the Junior/Senior High School.

In collaboration with local law enforcement and with the safety of our students, staff and community as our top priority, we have made the decision to limit attendance for the upcoming football game against Taft on 9/13/2024. Attendance will be limited to parents/guardians and pre-approved adults.

Police have not yet released any information about who may have shot the 13-year-old shortly after school let out at Taft High School. However, Cincinnati Public Schools said extra security and counselors will be on hand at the high school during classes on Friday.

This is not the first high school football game this season to be affected by violent crime.

Miami Valley Christian Academy has canceled its game against North College Hill High School a week after a shooting near NCH's stadium abruptly ended the school's game against Cincinnati Country Day. The shooting occurred in isolation outside the stadium and did not involve any students from either school.

Batavia also will not face Shroder at Stargel Stadium on Friday as originally scheduled because of the shooting near Taft, the teams announced Thursday. The game has instead been rescheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday in Walnut Hills.

In Kentucky, Bellevue High School's football game scheduled for Saturday night at Lynn Camp High School in Corbin, Kentucky, has been canceled as the manhunt for the suspect in a Sept. 7 shooting on I-75 in Laurel County continues.

The Taft vs. Mount Healthy clash is WCPO 9's Friday football game of the week.

Mount Healthy (2-1) has won two games in a row after losing its season opener by two points (20-18) to West Clermont, a Division I team, on Aug. 23.

Mount Healthy overcame a 10-0 second-quarter deficit last week to defeat visiting Wilmington 19-13.

“I liked that we had to fight and battle to win,” Mount Healthy coach Jordan Stevens said. “Wilmington is a tough opponent every year and I liked that we didn't give up. This week we made it a point to just stack days and get better. As long as we keep getting better every day and every game, that's all we can do.”

Taft posted a 3-0 record for the first time in the 2020 season. According to Taft's athletic director Austin Gullett, the Senators are trying to post a 4-0 record for the first time in over 30 years.

“I'm most excited about our performance,” Williams said. “We performed great. We didn't let up. We didn't take any team lightly. We don't care about their record. We don't care about stars, rankings or anything else. We treat every game like a state championship.”

SIGN UP: Subscribe to our university sports newsletter