Updated with new information from the County Health Department
The announcement that the Herculaneum football team was being quarantined for two weeks after several players tested positive for the coronavirus was like a blindside block.
But instead of a 15-yard penalty, all of the junior varsity and varsity Blackcats were quarantined for 14 days. Herculaneum’s game against St. Vincent on Sept. 18 was canceled, as is Friday night’s game against St. Pius X. Both were I-55 Conference games. Given the timing of the two lost games, Herculaneum activities director Jason Gillman said it’s doubtful they’ll be made up.
“To make those up (St. Vincent and St. Pius) have to drop somebody.],” Gillman said.
Herculaneum’s football team isn’t the first athletic program from the county to be quarantined. Earlier this month, the Windsor boys soccer team was quarantined for two weeks. The Owls played their first game of the season against St. Pius X on Sept. 15.
In a letter to parents on Sept. 11, Dunklin R-5 Superintendent Clint Freeman said the high school was notified of a student’s positive COVID-19 test. The student was last at the school on Sept. 9, and students and staff who were in direct contact with them were notified.
Following contact tracing, all areas of the building the student was in were cleaned and disinfected.
Freeman said said the football players under quarantine are learning virtually and can resume in-class learning and get back on the field when the 14 days ends and they are symptom free of the coronavirus.
“Some have symptoms, some don’t,” Freeman said.
“When they come back, it’s a reboot or restart, if you will. Students come to school then go home and have other contact. We knew that was an inherent risk. We’ll reset, come back and add some mitigations.”
Freeman said efforts to contain coronavirus include more frequent cleaning of locker rooms and enforcing social distancing on the sidelines.
“I feel like the things we had in place were working well,” he said.
None of the other fall sports and activities at Herculaneum were impacted and those teams are still practicing and competing, Freeman said.
Gillman sent a letter to Herculaneum parents on Sept. 15 notifying them of the two canceled football games. The middle school football program will practice and play as scheduled. The JV and varsity football coaches at Herculaneum are not under quarantine.
Why weren’t the coaches quarantined?
“We could tell they weren’t within six feet of the (student) for at least 15 minutes,” Freeman said.
Herculaneum has a record of 0-3 this season and hosted Jefferson in football on Sept. 11.
Following the identification of a cluster of cases from a local football game, on Thursday (Sept. 17) afternoon Jefferson County Health Department Director Kelley Vollmar sent orders of quarantine to Freeman and Jefferson R-7 Superintendent Clint Johnston.
The Blue Jays' home game against St. Pius X on Friday night was canceled and all of Jefferson's football players from freshmen through seniors have been quarantined.
Johnston said none of the Blue Jays' football players had tested positive for COVID-19.