Safety concerns over high school football

Safety concerns over high school football

The way into the stadium!

Thanks for joining us tonight - i'm dan shaffer.

And i'm najahe sherman.

We've got team coverage for you over the next half hour - but we start in limestone county.

Elkmont high school is closed down for another week due to a spike in coronavirus cases at the limestone county school, but that didn't stop them from hosting their first football game of the season against randolph school.

Waay 31's will robinson-smith is live at elkmont high.

He spoke with faculty and a student to get their thoughts about the game tonight.

Will?

The school put in several safety precautions tonight to prepare for the game.

However -- with the school still closed -- some think having a game tonight wasn't such a good idea.

Jacob tucker, worried about football game i love to have football back, but i don't think we should be playing.

The school is shut down for two week and it's just smarter not to play.

Eighth-grader jacob tucker came out with his family to support his brother, austin.

But because elkmont high school is shut down for two weeks due to coronavirus cases, he thinks friday night's game against the randolph raiders should've been held off until later.

Jacob tucker, worried about football game i just think it ain't smart to play whenever they have school shut down and had several football players test positive and had fever running.

Head coach duane wales says two varsity players tested positive for coronavirus and a few other players on the varsity team have been quarantined from the game.

In total -- nine students have tested positive for the virus and 58 are in quarantine.

He says the school has been very proactive in its response.

Duane wales, head football coach, elkmont high school i feel confident that the measures we have in place are working because we have detected those that need to go get checked.

Principal elizabeth cantrell says the reason school is closed for the week is because eight staff members are in quarantine and it affected classroom learning.

As for the game tonight -- she says several precautions were put in place -- like temperature checks, a separate entrance for each team and encouraging social distancing.

Elizabeth cantrell, principal, elkmont high school we are encouraging the masks, of course.

You will not be permitted into the game without a mask.

Our announcers, we've asked them to announce over our speakers, to remind them of sanitation stations, remind them of social distancing and we've even encouraged our families to sit with each other.

She says it was important to do everything they could to make the football experience as safe as possible for athletes and fans to give them a taste of a normal fall semester.

Elizabeth cantrell, principal, elkmont high school our students have already lost a lot.

They've lost lots of activities and they've lost lots of memories and it's very difficult to take away everything that they have when it comes to opportunities to have those senior memories.

Meanwhile -- tucker says many of his friends decided to sit this game out.

He hopes that all of the safety measures will be effective moving forward.

Jacob tucker, worried about football game i hope nobody gets it, but i hope everyone has a good season and just, everyone's safe.

Next week -- elkmont is travelling to face cross- county rivals, the ardmore tigers.

Principal cantrell says even when school re- opens, the safety measures in place tonight will continue for the rest of the season.

Reporting live in elkmont, will robinson-smith, waay 31