Hours before kickoff, 2 more games featuring Rock Hill, Columbia schools postponed
Two more high school football games won’t be played Friday night because of COVID-19.
Spring Valley’s game at Northwestern and Lower Richland’s contest at Chester have been postponed due to coronavirus concerns. Both teams confirmed to The State or Rock Hill Herald of the postponements, less than five hours from kickoff.
The Lower Richland and Chester game will be made up Oct. 30. No makeup date is set for Spring Valley and Northwestern, which could have clinched a playoff spot with a win.
“With the health and well-being of students and staff at both schools most important, tonight’s football game against Spring Valley High School has been postponed after several individuals affiliated with the Vikings program have reported COVID-like symptoms,” Rock Hill school district spokesman Mychal Frost said in an email. “We wish those with the Vikings program well as they navigate this situation. The Region 4-AAAAA contest will be rescheduled at a later date.”
Richland 2 spokesperson Libby Roof said no person associated with the team has tested positive but displayed symptoms that would exclude them from extra-school work activity so a decision was made to postpone the game in an effort to be extra cautious.
No decision has been made about next week’s game until the person has been tested.
Three weeks into a shortened 2020 football season, Columbia-area schools have felt the impacts of the virus as much as any region in the state. Thirty of 32 Midlands public high schools have had their schedules disrupted either because of their own issues related to the virus or because of COVID-19 impacts to their opponents.
Rock Hill High School suspended its football operations and postponed its games this week after “several individuals affiliated with the program have reported COVID-like symptoms,” the Rock Hill school district announced Wednesday.
Friday’s postponements mean nine games featuring Columbia-area won’t be played this week because of COVID-19.
It wasn’t immediately known what the news means for the Spring Valley and Chester teams. High school football teams are typically taking two weeks away from action any time there’s a COVID-related issue.
Lower Richland was already missing an opponent next week because of Westwood quarantining 12 of its players after a possible virus exposure.
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 started a little more than a month later than originally planned. Friday’s games are the third week of action for South Carolina’s public schools.
Columbia SC schedule impacts for this week
Rock Hill at Blythewood, will be played Oct. 29
Eau Claire at Newberry, will be played Nov. 6
Lugoff-Elgin at Richland Northeast, will be played Oct. 30
Dreher at Westwood, will be played Oct. 30
Fox Creek at Swansea, will be played Nov. 6
Keenan at Mid-Carolina, TBD on makeup date
Batesburg-Leesville vs. Columbia, TBD on makeup date
Spring Valley at Northwestern, TBD, on makeup date
Lower Richland at Chester, will be played Oct. 30
This story was originally published October 9, 2020 at 3:46 PM with the headline "Hours before kickoff, 2 more games featuring Rock Hill, Columbia schools postponed."
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