Third Lexington County football program postpones games due to COVID-19 exposure
Another Lexington County school is postponing football games because of COVID-19.
Pelion is pushing back two games after a coronavirus exposure resulted in the team not being able to play or practice, according to Lexington One School District release. The school’s JV and B teams aren’t affected.
All COVID-19 exposures result in the quarantining of those directly exposed (close contact for more than 15 minutes within less than six feet) to an individual, or individuals, who tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Lexington One.
All football players and student athletic trainers will not attend school again until Oct. 12. There also be no practice until then.
The Panthers were scheduled to play Silver Bluff on Friday and Wade Hampton on Oct. 9. Both games are region contests and will be rescheduled. An announcement on new dates might come as as early as Wednesday, according to coach Dann Holland.
Pelion opened its season last Thursday with a 26-12 loss to Ridge Spring Monetta.
Pelion is the third Lexington County school to postpone games due to the coronavirus. Lexington and River Bluff had its first two games postponed and both teams will return to practice Oct. 6. Lexington will play Ridge View on Oct. 9 and River Bluff will host Dutch Fork.
Aiken High School also announced Tuesday it will postpone Friday’s game against Midland Valley because of COVID-19.
S.C. K-12 schools have 97 newly reported coronavirus cases since Friday, when cases were last reported, according to S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control data. There have been 821 reported cases since school began. That number includes 570 student cases and 251 employee cases, according to the DHEC database updated Tuesday. Of those, there are five or less reported among students at Pelion High School.
S.C. high school teams are playing a shortened seven-game season during the pandemic, and teams are playing region contests first. Those games help determine playoff seeding. The season is starting a little more than a month later than originally planned.
There are 34 states playing football this fall — 17 of those are modified or shorter than normal.
This story was originally published September 29, 2020 at 5:50 PM.
