20 Valparaiso High School football players quarantined, forcing two cancellations
Games scheduled vs. Crown Point and Merrillville canceled
Valparaiso High School has announced that junior varsity and varsity football teams will suspend practice and competition until Oct. 5, canceling games against Crown Point and Merrillville.
Valparaiso High School has announced that both junior varsity and varsity football teams will suspend practice and competition until Oct. 5, effectively canceling games against Crown Point and Merrillville.
In a statement sent to football parents, head coach Bill Marshall and athletic director Stacy Adams said school officials received word of a positive COVID-19 case at the high school.
In collaboration with the Porter County Health Department, those in direct contact with the individual who tested positive were identified, notified and instructed to quarantine for 14 days.
“Of those individuals, 20 direct contacts were identified from our combined JV and Varsity program,” Adams and Marshall wrote in the release.
While junior varsity and varsity programs will remain paused in an effort to mitigate any potential spread, freshman football will continue to practice and compete, according to the release.
The games against Crown Point and Merrillville were scheduled to take place Friday and Oct. 2, respectively.
“We know this is not what anyone hoped for but we have the ability to help mitigate potential spread of the virus and allow us to, hopefully, finish the season strong and continue to stay healthy in the post-season,” according to the release.
Last week, Lowell High School also canceled a football game due to a positive COVID-19 result from a varsity player.
Ten football players were quarantined due to the positive test and five were quarantined previously for other reasons, bringing the total number of quarantined players to 15 at the time of the Sept. 18 game against Hobart High School, according to Lowell officials.
After canceling the game against Hobart last week, Lowell is back and was expected to play Friday night against Kankakee Valley.