SC football state title game pushed back as one team deals with COVID-19
Marion and Abbeville will have to wait to play the Class 2A football championship because of COVID-19, the South Carolina High School League announced.
Marion has a COVID-19 issue within its program, so Friday’s scheduled title game for Dec. 4 in Columbia will be moved to 6 p.m. on Dec. 18 at Benedict College. It was supposed to be at Spring Valley but moved because of a conflict, the SC High School League said Wednesday.
If the game can’t be played, the two teams will be called co-champions., the SCHSL executive committee voted on Wednesday. Marion football team is being quarantined right now and will resume practice Dec. 15.
“While this is a very unfortunate turn of events, we appreciate the school’s decision to practice the safety measures recommended by the Department of Health and Environmental Control,” SCHSL Commissioner Jerome Singleton said in a statement Dec. 3.
Abbeville coach Jamie Nickles had heard rumors on possible COVID situation at Marion and was notified late Thursday morning.
“That’s just 2020,” Nickles said. “I applaud the high school league for making the decision to try and play this game. Win or lose, we need to play this game.”
Nickles said he will give the team the rest of the week off and begin preparations again for Marion the following week. Abbeville is going for the school’s 11th state title while Marion is in the championship game for the first time since 1987. Marion features South Carolina Gamecocks commitment T.J. Sanders.
According to Tuesday’s DHEC COVID-19 tracking chart for schools, there has been less than five cases among Marion High School faculty and none among students in the past 30 days. That chart is updated every Tuesday and Friday, so any new cases might have not appeared yet.
There were dozens of games in South Carolina across the regular season that were postponed or canceled because of COVID-19. This is the second time in the postseason that a team has had to deal with a coronavirus issue. Oceanside Collegiate had COVID concerns and forfeited its second-round game against Camden.
Singleton previously said he wouldn’t force a team to forfeit a state championship game and would do everything possible to get it played.
“A state championship game is one that forfeiture should be avoided if possible. This scenario affords us the opportunity to adjust our schedule to accommodate the competing schools,” Singleton said.
2020 SC FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME SCHEDULE
Dec. 4
▪ Class 5A: Dutch Fork 28, TL Hanna 6
Dec. 5
▪ Class A: Southside Christian 46, Lake View 6
▪ Class 3A: Daniel 52, Camden 31
▪ Class 4A: AC Flora 42, North Myrtle Beach 7
Dec. 18
▪ Class 2A: Marion vs. Abbeville, TBA, at Benedict College (www.nfhsnetwork.com)
This story was originally published December 3, 2020 at 12:00 PM.
