The weird and wacky from high school sports around the country

Think some wacky stuff happens at your school? Probably. But here are some 2008 high school sports oddities from across the country.

And hey, kids: There are several idiotic, hurtful and even criminal incidents documented here. Seeing them in print should serve as a deterrent, not a suggestion.

Here we go:

Pasco, Wash.: The Pasco High girls basketball team's leading scorer tore knee ligaments jumping up and down celebrating her winning shot in the district playoffs.

Southport, N.C.: A judge ruled that the parents of a teen-ager who married her 40-year-old high school track coach could not sue the school district. The coach resigned from South Brunswick High in June 2007, on the same day he married the 16-year-old.

Dearborn, Mich.: A Fordson High wrestling coach was dismissed after 35 years amid allegations that his former assistant tried to convert Muslim students to Christianity.

Canton, Ga.: The stadium announcer for Sequoyah High football came under fire for comments he made during a game, including, "You can boo all you want, but you're still losing 49-0."

Katy, Texas: Seven Morton Ranch High varsity cheerleaders grabbed junior varsity cheerleaders from their homes, blindfolded them, bound their hands and threw them in a swimming pool. The school suspended cheerleading for the school year.

Nacogdoches, Texas: For a pep rally skit, Nacogdoches High cheerleaders dressed as cheerleaders from a rival squad. The "rival" cheerleaders were forced to kneel and be executed by Nacogdoches cheerleaders wielding toy guns. The principal called the performance a "simple, innocent satire."

Plainwell, Mich.: A Plainwell High football coach was dismissed after allegations that he allowed hazing during a freshman football practice. The letter issued to parents about the incident said that "at issue was the term 'skullhumping' whereby a tackler adds a 'pelvic thrust' at the end of a tackle."

Lewisberry, Pa.: Upon reporting to school for preseason conditioning, a Red Land High football coach and players discovered a deer carcass propped up and chained to a turnstile. The deer was wearing a white muscle shirt, shorts and a graduation cap atop its headless body and had a football stuffed between its legs.

St. Mary's, Kan.: A female high school basketball referee who showed up to work a boys game at St. Mary's Academy was told by a school official that he could not allow a woman to be put in a position of authority over boys. The other official assigned to work the game, a man, walked off the court with his partner as a sign of solidarity.

Bethel, Vt.: Whitcomb High boys basketball players told their coach by phone on a Saturday that they did not want to play in their first-round playoff game Monday. "We just decided enough was enough," one player said. Sixteenth-seeded Whitcomb (3-16) was set to face top-seeded Proctor (18-0), a team that had beaten Whitcomb 87-22 earlier in the season.

Charlotte, N.C.: A couple rented out their $2.8 million home to buy a $737,000 home in another district three miles away so their son could start at quarterback for South Mecklenburg High.

Groveland, Fla.: A melee broke out after a fuse blew and a football game between South Lake and Nature Coast was plunged into darkness. Five players and a coach were suspended for their roles in the on-field brawl. According to a report filed about the incident, "for a few seconds after the blackout there was no activity on the field. We could then hear players beginning to hit each other."

Novato, Calif.: Because of repeated incidents of inappropriate fan behavior by parents, San Marin High officials drew up code-of-conduct contracts for athletes' parents.

Springboro, Ohio: Private donors funded a Springboro High boys basketball locker room that includes custom-made royal blue and white carpet with the school logo, wooden lockers with lockable personal drawers, a 10-foot TV, a Wii video game system and a hardwood entryway that when completed will be a replica of the floor the team plays on.

Provo, Utah: A newspaper photographer whose leg was pierced by a javelin that came through the other side photographed his injury before being taken to the hospital. "If I didn't, it would probably be my editor's first question when I got back," he said.

Rialto, Calif.: Poisonous, powerful stinging South American fire ants set up moundlike colonies on the Rialto High football and baseball fields, preventing the school's athletic teams from using them.

Ann Arbor, Mich.: Thirteen Huron High boys lacrosse players, including a creative suitor, were suspended for writing "Will You Go to The Prom With Me? Yes or No?" on their backsides and then mooning a female classmate at a game. The girl accepted the invitation by patting the lower back of the boy with "Yes" on his butt.

Flower Mound, Texas: Two students who dressed in gorilla and banana costumes and sprinted down the field at a homecoming football game spent 16 hours in jail for trespassing. "We were in there with people on drug charges," the gorilla said. "When they asked what we did, they said: 'Seriously?' "

Oklahoma City: On the night that Bishop McGuinness debuted its newly renovated gym, a $4 million project, one of the home players shattered a backboard on a dunk attempt.

Cartersville, Ga.: Stephens County High was fined $1,000 and its baseball program was placed on "severe warning status" after the team's catcher dropped to his knees, ducked and did not attempt to catch a pitch that struck the home plate umpire in the face mask.

Pewaukee, Wis.: Several New Berlin Eisenhower High junior varsity football players were under investigation for urinating beside the field during halftime of a game at Pewaukee High. "I don't think it was a matter of intentional exposure," a school official said. "I think it was a matter of intentional relief."