Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Students celebrate victory, and then the horses moved in
RADNOR » As the final minutes ticked off in the Villanova Wildcats dismantling of Michigan for the National Championship Monday evening, students and fans watching the game on the Villanova Quad quickly turned and headed for the intersection of Lancaster and Ithan avenues.
For the next 90 minutes students had free reign of the road as people climbed atop the university sign and swarmed the crossroads of the college.
Police stayed back and allowed the celebrations to play out. As a safety precaution township trash trucks parked down the street, blocking access for any car that might try to veer into the crowd as streams of people arrived to join the party.
Three young men climbed the traffic light closest to the school, despite it being covered in grease, and stood from their pitch cheering on the crowd. One of the three continued to gingerly climb onto the cross beam. It appeared at any minute he might topple over into the crowd below, but he didn’t. Instead he became the target of beer cans thrown towards him as he pulled off his shirt. He managed to grab one can and proceeded to guzzle it down, all the while more objects were thrown his way.
On the street a dedicated core of fans began lighting objects on fire and chanting “Burn that s---!” They started with a Michigan shirt, which quickly flamed out and moved on to tree branches pulled off of saplings along the road. Next came the fireworks, bottle rockets, roman candles and fire crackers shooting into the crowd.
Most fans roamed about taking selfies and group photos of the festivities as a police helicopter flew overhead, its spotlight shining down on the crowd. Fans eventually turned and began waving to the copter as it shined the light on them.
As time went on an occasional bottle or firework would flash through the crowd bringing a oh and ahh.
After an hour some fans began to drift off towards the bars in Bryn Mawr or back onto campus.
In front of Barkley Hall a crowd of students was also starting another bonfire which police decided needed to be extinguished. Overhead a number of windows were broken in dorms, the glass falling to the ground from the upper floors. A fleet of police motorcycles moved in to disperse the crowd but was stopped short of their goal on the slippery bricks. Police backed off and the crowd celebrated its victory over the police; it was, however, brief. At 1 a.m., from the direction of the Connelly Center a dozen Pennsylvania state troopers on horseback moved in and began expertly dispersing the crowd. Other troopers on foot, all wearing riot gear, including the horses moved the crowd either into their dorms or off campus.
A fire alarm sounded in one dorm, police led students out of the building but not back onto the Quad.
By 1:15 a.m, the campus was cleared and the troopers moved on towards Lancaster Avenue to clear that road.
In the now empty Quad, an occasional student could be heard yelling at the police but it was time for bed, Spring break was over and classes would resume Tuesday.