Chapel Hill high school football game Friday night postponed because of threat

A Friday night football game between rivals Chapel Hill High School and East Chapel Hill School has been postponed due to a public safety threat, the schools’ leaders said.

School authorities received information from students about a possible threat to attendees at the football game being held at Chapel Hill High School, according to Jesse Casey, principal of East Chapel Hill High and Charles Blanchard, principal of Chapel Hill High.

Details of the threat were not released in an emailed letter to staff, students and parents. The schools said they are in contact with law enforcement.

The threat was made on social media, and authorities are investigating who is behind it, Carrboro Police Chief Chris Atack told The News & Observer.

An investigation is ongoing to determine whether the threat is credible.

“We appreciate the students who had the courage to speak up, and as a result we immediately involved our school administrative teams to investigate,” the principals said in the email. “While we have no concrete evidence at this time to suggest that a credible threat exists, we have consulted with district leadership and made the difficult decision to postpone tonight’s football game to a later date while we work with local law enforcement to continue an investigation.

“We are sorry for the disruption and disappointment this may cause, but under the current circumstances we feel it’s in everyone’s best interest to reschedule the game,” the principals said.

The Chapel Hill Tigers are 4-0 this season, while the East Chapel Hill Wildcats are 0-4.

This story was originally published September 23, 2022 at 5:13 PM.

Aaron Sánchez-Guerra

The News & Observer

(919) 297-8162

Aaron Sánchez-Guerra is a breaking news reporter for The News & Observer and previously covered business and real estate for the paper. His background includes reporting for WLRN Public Media in Miami and as a freelance journalist in Raleigh and Charlotte covering Latino communities. He is a graduate of North Carolina State University, a native Spanish speaker and was born in Mexico. You can follow his work on Twitter at @aaronsguerra.