A football-tackling trend went wrong on a Hilton Head Island beach on Monday, sending a Bluffton high schooler to the hospital.

The 18-year-old senior at May River High School told deputies he and his friend were taking part in an “Oklahoma drill,” a 1-on-1 tackling match popular among young beachgoers. Two participants — typically surrounded by a circle of spectators — try to win by forcing their opponent to the ground.

But the losing party got upset after the teen’s friend won a match Monday night at Coligny Beach, the 18-year-old told police. A group of about 15 people began attacking his friend, and he was also assaulted as he tried breaking up the fight, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office incident report.

Deputies met the 18-year-old at Novant Health Coastal Carolina Medical Center, noting he had injuries to his mouth area and chipped front teeth from the altercation. The teen’s doctors thought he may have gotten a concussion, he was documented saying in the report.

The teen told police he didn’t know any of the people who attacked him and his friend. He declined to press charges, according to the sheriff’s office report.

“(Oklahoma drills) could be a mix of people who know each other and people who don’t know each other,” said sheriff’s office spokesman Lt. Daniel Allen. “We are around that spring break time, so then you probably get a mix of locals and not locals.”

Named after the football exercise that was banned by the NFL in 2019, Oklahoma drills are typically spur-of-the-moment events arising at popular spring break destinations.

But participants in these drills aren’t wearing football pads, leading to concern about injuries. The organized horseplay often sparks real violence, like when one person was fatally shot at Jacksonville Beach in 2024 shortly after police broke up a crowd of hundreds taking part in Oklahoma drills.

Although Oklahoma drills aren’t terribly common on Hilton Head, Allen said, police received a similar report from a beachgoer about two weeks ago. Similar to Monday’s case, the victim did not know his attackers and did not want to press charges.

“It’s not the drill itself that’s the problem,” Allen said. “It’s the fact they got upset they lost, and then wanted to fight the person — that’s different.”

Deputies have increased patrols in the area of Coligny Beach, Allen said, arguably Hilton Head’s hottest spot for spring break crowds.

“If we do see any large gathering of kids or whatever else, we’re going ahead and trying to disperse that,” he said. “We’re also asking if people see anything suspicious to call that stuff in, the earlier the better, to help minimize any issues.”