Players run off the field during a “scary” incident at an Illinois high school football game

A high school football game in Illinois was postponed after a brawl broke out in the crowd, sparking a stampede of fans and players running for safety.

Players from Auburn High School and Harlem High School ran off the field while spectators ran from the stands to their cars in the parking lot of Harlem Stadium, located in northern Illinois, about 90 miles northwest of Chicago.

Officials said a fight between two teenagers involved several people and police were called to break it up.

Players from both teams left the field during the second half on Friday night and scurried up the grassy hill opposite the stands.

“Our student section started to empty out, and panic spread from there,” Harlem coach Jim Morrow said after play was suspended with Harlem leading 20-6. “I'm not an expert on what happened. I didn't see anything going on behind the stands. It was just a panicked reaction. Our guys saw what was happening, and we just tried to get everyone to safety.”

For five minutes, officials in the press box had been talking about a fight behind the stands. They tried to break up the fight on their own. When that didn't work, they called the police.

Shortly before the police arrived, another fight broke out between the two girls. The unrest spread to the stands and then to the pitch.

The officers put one of the two girls in the back seat of a police vehicle. Eventually, more than 20 police cars arrived at the scene.

Auburn coach Leroy McFadden said he had “no idea” what scared his players so much that they left the field.

“I just turned around to look for my family,” McFadden said. “When everyone was running, I got my team off the field and looked for my family. I'm responsible for them. I don't know what happened, but when everyone's running in your direction, that means you're running too.”

“It was pretty scary. My seven-year-old was out here. He was nervous and scared and crying.”

After a 30-minute break, the game was officially suspended. It resumed on Saturday and Harlem won 40-6.

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A similar mass panic occurred in January at a basketball game at Auburn High School, when a loud noise from the crowded hallway outside the gym was mistaken for gunshots, causing players and fans to flee in panic.

This article originally appeared in the Journal Star: High school football game in Illinois disrupted by brawl