Paradise Valley football again scrambles to find foe, gets Friday game
Paradise Valley’s football team has been fortunate to not be hit by COVID-19 this season.
But not so much for the teams on its schedule.
For a third week in a row, coach Greg Davis was blindsided by the news from an opposing school that it won’t be able to play because of positive coronavirus cases.
This time, Davis found out Thursday morning from Phoenix Barry Goldwater, which was scheduled to play the Trojans on Friday.
“It wears on coaches and kids,” Davis said an hour before Phoenix Washington stepped up to fill in to play his team. “You put a ton of preparation in to play a game, then its yanked on a Thursday.
“I understand that it is Covid football, but at some point there needs to be a payday for the players’ hard work.”
Davis later said that he was “so thankful” to Washington for picking up the phone to play the game on such short notice. The game will be played at Paradise Valley on Friday at 7 p.m.
Last week, it was Phoenix Sunnyslope that had to cancel. Paradise Valley wasn’t able to find a replacement game.
Two weeks ago, its scheduled opponent, Cave Creek Cactus Shadows, had to cancel. PV had enough time to find a replacement. Sierra Vista Buena made the long bus ride to play the Trojans, who lost that Oct. 9 game 58-6.
Goldwater became the fifth Arizona high school this week to have to cancel because of COVID-19. The others were Mesa Desert Ridge, Phoenix Arizona Lutheran, Goodyear Millennium and Buckeye Verrado.
Scott Warner, director of athletics and school operations for the Deer Valley Unified School District, confirmed Thursday that Goldwater’s varsity football team is ceasing activities and quarantining, resulting in the cancellation of the Paradise Valley game and next week’s game against Cactus Shadows.