Prep football game between Whitney and Rocklin canceled due to positive COVID-19 test
Padded football practices started in California last Friday with Sacramento-area teams fired up to prepare for a short spring season. Whitney seemed to be full speed ahead as it prepared for its season-opener against cross-town rival Rocklin on March 12.
On Tuesday, that game and Sacramento-area prep football hit the first bump in the spring season. Whitney athletic director Jason Feuerbach confirmed the game against Rocklin won’t happen because of a positive COVID-19 test within the Whitney program. All varsity football players will have to quarantine and do distance learning for the next 14 days.
It’s unclear how many players or who tested positive. Whitney’s next game is scheduled for March 19 against Oak Ridge.
It is the first game to be canceled by a positive coronavirus test in the recently rebooted world of high school sports. Football ordinarily starts its season in August and wraps up in December, but teams have been limited to conditioning drills out of concerns about spreading the coronavirus.
In December, Serra of San Mateo football coach Patrick Walsh launched the Golden State HS Football Coaches Community in hopes of uniting coaches throughout the state of California. The goal of the group was to convince health officials and Gov. Gavin Newsom to relax restrictions and allow a football season to happen.
The California Department of Public Health announced last month outdoor sports such as football, baseball, softball, soccer, water polo and lacrosse could start practices on Feb. 26 in any county that has a per-capita COVID-19 case rate of fewer than 14 per 100,000 residents.
High-contact sports such as football and water polo will require weekly COVID testing of players and coaches, similar to other states that had fall or will have spring football.
Football teams in the state of California can play until April 17, giving most teams four or five games. There will be no section or state playoffs and area teams will have the flexibility to schedule whoever they can play, as along as both schools are in a county that has a per-capita COVID-19 case rate of fewer than 14 per 100,000 residents.
UPDATE
Feuerbach provided an update Tuesday evening about the football team’s situation. The varsity team came in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, Feuerbach said, and there was no way to trace it to a specific group.
Whitney will play Oak Ridge on March 20, delayed a day from the original schedule. The game with Rocklin is rescheduled for April 16.
“We have tremendous appreciation and understanding regarding what participation in sports means to our student-athletes, their families, our campus communities and our fans,” Feuerbach said. “We will continue to make the best decisions possible for the health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes. We appreciate the passion of the Whitney community and will harness that energy towards providing the best possible experience for all Whitney football players.”
This story was originally published March 2, 2021 at 9:32 AM.