Vandalism struck both McGill-Toolen Catholic High School and Murphy High School in the days after their long-running football rivalry game, spreading beyond the traditional postgame tradition of painting the cannon off Old Government Street.
After McGill-Toolen’s Friday night win, Murphy’s campus was hit: the panther statue at the front of the school was spray-painted orange, and walls were tagged with “MCT.” Students were photographed cleaning the paint from the panther.
Both Schools Targeted
McGill-Toolen saw its own damage as well. Goal posts on the Catholic school’s campus were spray-painted with expletives, and the phrase “Kill MCT” appeared in the grass.
The back-and-forth vandalism drew criticism from alumni who said the cannon tradition is one thing, but damaging school property crosses a line.
“Spray the cannon, but leave the schools alone,” said Harold Allen, a McGill graduate. “I went to McGill, and we’ve been doing that forever, so let’s behave a little bit.”
Administrators Investigating
Administrators from both schools met to coordinate an effort to identify those responsible. In a statement, McGill-Toolen said it is working closely with Murphy administrators and that it remains unknown whether students from either school were involved.