After a postgame altercation between North Vermilion and Comeaux football on Oct. 11, both teams must forfeit their Week 7 matchups against St. Thomas More and Teurlings Catholic, respectively.

On Tuesday, it was announced on St. Thomas More football’s Facebook page that per the LHSAA, the penalty for both teams after the altercation would be forfeiting this week’s games. This gives the Cougars an extra off week as they were set to face Comeaux for a district matchup. North Vermilion was Teurlings Catholic’s homecoming opponent this week.

“I'm personally disappointed in the idea that Teurlings had to cancel their homecoming game because of something that had to do with us,” North Vermilion football coach Roy Mod said. “So I’m very apologetic about that. It wasn't intentional on either team's part, but it's just unfortunate of all the unintended consequences.”

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The altercation took place during the handshakes after the game in which the Patriots beat the Spartans 36-29. It’s alleged that a TikTok trend was what sparked the fight. The trend is when a player from the winning team uses a belt or towel and whops the opposing team as they do their postgame handshakes to signify they’ve “whopped” their opponents.

According to Comeaux football head coach Marquis Newsome, the Spartans are no stranger to this trend as teams have done it to them the past few games as they sit at 0-6 so far this season.

"I'm not saying our kids are right in how they responded; I wish they took the higher road," Newsome said. "But this is the third or fourth game in a row that kids have done this to us. They have no idea what these kids go through, the pressure these kids have, it's not just football. I do not make excuses for my kids and we were wrong for the level that we responded."

As of Wednesday, both teams will only have to forfeit Week 7’s games but there could possibly be more punishment handed out for North Vermilion.

“The directive given to us was it was a one-game suspension taking submission to the LHSAA of what our internal penalties were going to be,” Mod said. “If they accept them, then that'll be the end of it. If they don't accept them, they are reserving the right to add on.”

For the Spartans, some players involved in the altercation will also face a two-day out-of-school suspension and will have to sit out for Week 8's matchup, a punishment handed down by the school on top of the LHSAA's punishment. Comeaux is set to play Northside on Oct. 25 for the Vikings' homecoming while North Vermilion will play against Westgate, also as the Tigers' homecoming opponent.

"You suspend a kid for a game, I'm not tripping, I'm more (upset) at the fact that they're missing two days of school for this," Newsome said. "Some of these kids need to be in school every day because they struggle with school, and I know because I have taught them."

Shannon Belt covers high school sports and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow her high school and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ShannonBelt3. Got questions regarding HS/UL athletics? Send them to Shannon Belt at sbelt@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Comeaux, North Vermilion football forced to forfeit Week 7 games