The tarps were gone by Friday, Sept. 11, but the questions surrounding them weren't.
Two white tarps appeared overnight on The Bolles School's football field ahead of its rivalry game against Bishop Kenny, one carrying an expletive directed at Bolles and the other reading, "$$$ don't win games."
What initially appeared to be a pregame prank escalated into a police matter hours before kickoff between the two Jacksonville, Florida, schools.
![Bolles Bulldogs defensive lineman Asher Ghioto (34) tackles Oakleaf Knights Kashawn Murphy (90) in the second quarter Friday September 19, 2025 at Oakleaf High School in Oakleaf Plantation, Florida. The Bolles Bulldogs are 3-1 while the Oakleaf Knights are 4-0. Bolles lead 21-6 at the half. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2025/09/20/NFTU/86253948007-jki-091925-highschoolfootball-bolles-oakleaf-042.JPG)
According to a Jacksonville Sheriff's Office incident report obtained by USA TODAY Sports, a Bolles security officer reported seeing five individuals wearing ski masks attempting to climb a fence onto the school's football field shortly after midnight on Friday, Sep. 10.
The individuals fled when they saw the security
officer, according to the report, leaving in a gray Chevrolet pickup truck.
A sheriff's deputy later stopped a vehicle matching the description and detained five occupants. The report states all five were students at Bishop Kenny High School, with multiple non-football athletes involved. USA TODAY Sports is choosing not to name the five students involved in the incident.
Bolles declined to comment, stating that's a "current legal matter." Bishop Kenny has not responded to requests for comment as of the time of this publication.
![Bolles Bulldogs wide receiver Camden Tietze (3) tries to shed off Bishop Kenny Crusaders Andrew McCoy Jr. (7) in the first quarter. The Bolles Bulldogs hosted the Bishop Kenny Crusaders Friday September 11, 2026 at Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fla. Bolles lead 21-6 at the half. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2026/09/12/NFTU/91722832007-bishop-kenny-at-bolles-fb-008.JPG)
According to the report, the students told officers their school was scheduled to play Bolles that night and that they wanted to pull a prank by leaving a banner on the field featuring the Bishop Kenny logo.
The security officer told police that no property had been stolen or damaged but requested that all five individuals be trespassed from Bolles' campus.
All five were subsequently trespassed from the school and warned that they could be arrested if they returned, according to the report.
![Bolles Bulldogs quarterback Luke Toland (12) passes during the first quarter. The Bolles Bulldogs hosted the Bishop Kenny Crusaders Friday September 11, 2026 at Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fla. Bolles lead 21-6 at the half. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2026/09/12/NFTU/91722828007-bishop-kenny-at-bolles-fb-017.JPG)
The incident became public the morning of Sept. 11 when Bolles five-star junior Asher Ghioto, who was a member of USA TODAY Sports preseason All-America team, posted photos of the tarps on his Instagram story.
"Breaking into our school you goofs just to get killed," Ghioto wrote, attributing the prank to Bishop Kenny.
Once the game began, however, there was little ambiguity about the result. Bolles was dominant, beating Bishop Kenny 35-13 to improve to 2-1 on the season.
Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X at @NP_AlexMartin or via email: amartin@usatodayco.com. For additional high school sports coverage, be sure to follow USA TODAY High School Sports on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida high school football rivalry prank turns into police investigation
