Dutch Fork football team in COVID-19 quarantine after state title win
A second championship Midlands football team is in quarantine after a coronavirus outbreak days after their state title win.
Players on Dutch Fork High School’s football team are in a two-week quarantine after players tested positive for COVID-19. An email from the Dutch Fork nurse’s office to parents recommended players socially isolate and watch out for a list of symptoms during the quarantine.
“Unfortunately, there have been more positive cases in the football team than we originally knew,” the email, sent Wednesday, reads. “(F)or the safety of everyone involved the football players will need to quarantine a full 14 days. That will put your son out of quarantine on Sat, Dec. 19.”
Dutch Fork defeated TL Hanna High School, 28-6, to win the Class 5A state championship last Friday at Benedict College’s Charlie W. Johnson Stadium in Columbia.
The email was shared with The State by a parent after school district officials declined to confirm the positive cases and quarantine for football players.
“To protect the privacy of our staff and students, School District Five does not confirm specific groups or individuals quarantined or testing positive for COVID-19, as this could indirectly identify staff and/or students,” said district spokeswoman Katrina Goggins.
But officials at TL Hanna High School, the Silver Foxes’ title game opponent, and at the Anderson 5 school district confirmed that they were informed of a positive test on the squad after the two teams faced off last week.
“We did get a phone call from Dutch Fork HS (Monday),” TL Hanna athletic director John Cann said in an email. “Dutch Fork had a player test positive on Sunday. The player was dressed for the game on Friday but did not play in the game. We will take no action regarding this matter since he never played in the game.”
The Silver Foxes are the first football team in state history to win five consecutive state titles, and the championship is the sixth in school history. All of the championships have come since coach Tom Knotts arrived in 2010. Seven other S.C. teams have won four in a row but failed on their attempt for No. 5.
Dutch Fork is unbeaten in its past 50 games and is nationally ranked by MaxPreps and the USA Today Super 25 Poll.
This is the second state title-winning team to be quarantined after last weekend’s championships. On Monday, the Richland 1 school district announced players and coaches on the A.C. Flora football team would also quarantine after a coach tested positive the day after the Falcons’ victory over North Myrtle Beach.
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