The Tift County-Valdosta, Denmark-Allatoona and Carrollton-Newnan football games were canceled hours before kickoff Friday, bringing to 11 or more the number of games called off this week because of COVID-19 outbreaks or contact on Georgia’s high school football teams.
Irwin County head coach Casey Soliday has tested positive for COVID-19 and has the flu, according to an Albany radio station, which attributed the news to Irwin County school officials. Irwin’s game at Fitzgerald on Friday night is still on, the station reported.
Soliday would be the third South Georgia head football coach this week with a reported positive COVID-19. test or diagnosos Statesboro football coach Jeff Kaiser was hospitalized overnight Wednesday, he confirmed to ajc.com,.
Tift County football coach Ashley Anders was hospitalized this week with COVID-19 and pneumonia, his school confirmed Thursday evening.
Then shortly after noon on Friday, Tift County Schools announced that the Department of Public Health canceled the Blue Devils' home game with Valdosta. The school district cited the number of positive COVID-19 cases on the football team.
Denmark, a school in Forsyth County, called off its game at Allatoona, making the announcement around noon. Denmark principal Heather Gordy said the cancellation was due to ''COVID exposure quarantines and injuries.''
The Newnan-Carrollton game is off because of possible COVID-19 exposures on the Carrollton team, according to Newnan’s football Twitter.
Late Thursday, the Etowah vs. Forsyth Central and Kell vs. Hillgrove games were canceled.
Etowah announced on Twitter that it wouldn’t play travel to Forsyth Central, which also missed its first game last week when Blessed Trinity called it off, citing a positive COVID-19 test.
''Well folks ... here we go, again,'' Forsyth Central principal Mitch Young wrote in a letter announcing the news. "We received a call today from the administrators at Etowah High School. In good conscience, they will not send their team to play tomorrow night’s game, as they have had a fresh bout with COVID-19. While we are incredibly frustrated – for obvious reasons – we understand that every school administration must do what they feel is best for the safety of their students and staff.''
Hillgrove announced that its game against Kell was off because of a confirmed positive case of COVID-19 within the football program. The game was to have been the first-ever meeting between the two successful Cobb County programs.
Savannah Country Day on Thursday afternoon canceled its game against Emanuel County Institute. SCD coach Jim Hollis told WTOC-TV in Savannah that he hopes to reschedule in October.
Appling County can’t play it home game against Clinch County. Clinch is playing Marion County instead.
Washington County is playing at Swainsboro tonight in a game that came together quickly Wednesday after their originally scheduled opponents, Burke County and Jefferson County, canceled because of positive COVID-19 tests on their teams.
Washington County coach Joel Ingram and Swainsboro coach Scott Roberts are close friends. Their teams also will play each other Sept. 25.
''Swainsboro on one-day prep,'' Ingram said with a laugh. ''They are like us. These kids want to play. ... High school seniors losing games they can never get back out of something not of their control? If it can be safely done in each individual contest, then I say let them play.''
Fannin County canceled its game against Gilmer on Thursday because Fannin players were exposed to the coronavirus and must going into 14-day quarantine, the Times-Courier of Ellijay reported. Fannin doesn’t have another game scheduled until Sept. 25. …
Josey canceled its Sept. 18 game with Screven County because of a COVID-19 case on Josey’s team, WFXG-TV in Augusta reported. Josey had its opener canceled when its opponent, Laney, reported a positive test in its program.
Madison County canceled its Friday game with Holy Innocents' because the team has 30 players in quarantine, according to The Athens Banner-Herald.
Holy Innocents' quickly picked up a replacement opponent, Marist, which had lost its Friday game when Blessed Trinity canceled last week because of a quarantine.
Marist coach Alan Chadwick said he’d given up finding a game until Holy Innocents' came to the rescue Wednesday afternoon.
''We talked with teams out of state,'' Chadwick said. “We thought we had a game with a team that’s like the IMG of Virginia. That didn’t quite work out. We had a team from Tennessee that wanted $10,000. That wasn’t going to happen. I just couldn’t handle any more mentally and physically. I was exhausted. Then it just fell in our laps.”
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