BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — After high school football games across Alabama were marred by fights and incidents over the weekend, two Birmingham schools have teamed up to make sure their game isn’t next.

They’re calling it the Stop the Violence Football Classic. The players for the Ramsay Rams and the Parker Thunder Herd, who are set to face off on Thursday, are on a mission to make sure no violence happens on their field or in their community on their watch.

The students said they came up with the idea a while ago to cause a community conversation. At the game, flags will be planted, and there will be various tributes in honor of victims of gun violence in the city.

Those attending the game have been instructed to wear colors corresponding to their school – for Ramsay, blue, and for Parker, purple. Those affected by gun violence have been asked to wear white.

Dr. Mark Sullivan, the superintendent of Birmingham City Schools, said that since January 2022, the district has lost 17 students to gun violence.

For many of the players, that’s something they’ve lived through firsthand.

“My stepfather, he persuaded me to keep playing football — I lost him a year ago due to gun violence, and when he passed, it was like a part of me was kind of gone … If we can come together for a game, we can go anywhere,” said Tremell Washington, an athlete at Ramsay High School.

“Talk to each other more, don’t resolve it in conflict. Talk to each other more, talk about the problem,” said Malik Muhammad, an athlete at Parker High School.

Birmingham police officers and school officers will be on hand at the game, along with metal detectors to get inside.

The game kicks off Thursday night at 7p.m. at the historic Legion Field.