Texas High School Lineman Picks Up Defender, Body Slams Him at Scrimmage Game

Texas high school football kicks off this weekend, which means scrimmages are finally done. One scrimmage in the Brazos Valley part of the state last week looked like a tryout for professional wrestling.

The Caldwell Hornets traveled to scrimmage the Lexington Eagles last Thursday. On one particular play, the right tackle for Caldwell drove the Lexington defensive end into the ground during a running play that went to the left side of the field. Then, the offensive lineman picked the defender up from the ground, lifted him into the air upside down and flung him back to the ground.

A video was shown on Twitter that caught the action, but that tweet has since been deleted. This story from SEC Country captured a screenshot of the video.

The Lexington defender appeared to get up, and he reportedly was not injured on the play. The offensive lineman was not penalized on the play, nor was he ejected.

Caldwell and Lexington are located just west of Bryan-College Station, and east of Austin. Caldwell starts its varsity regular season this Friday at Manor Tech, and Lexington travels to play West.

Football across all levels—from grade school to the NFL—have taken extra precautions to prevent injuries, especially head injuries. Safety is paramount in Texas, which is known to have some of the best high school football in the country.

All football coaches in Texas must complete "tackle training" authorized by the state's governing body and be certified before they can coach football.

The state is also hoping to avoid incidences like last fall in South Texas when a player, who had been ejected from a game, rushed the field and attacked the referee. That player left the sideline and blind-sided the referee, picking him up and body slamming him.

A scrum ensued after that, and police carried the player away. A cart was brought onto the field for the referee.

The defensive lineman from Edinburg High had been having a stellar season, and he was projected to be one of the top wrestlers in the state.

After that incident, the Edinburg school district removed the Bobcats from playing in the state playoffs.

"The district has decided to remove the Edinburg High School football team from the playoffs after an unexpected incident involving a student that occurred during a football game on December 3, 2020," the school district stated. "We extend a sincere apology to the referee and his family. On behalf of the Edinburg CISD Board of Trustees and administration, we apologize to the athletes, staff, and our school community.

"We will take the appropriate disciplinary action once we understand the facts and circumstances underlining this incident. The district takes these matters very seriously; however, we cannot comment further on a pending investigation."