Traverse City Record-Eagle

Archive: Friday

October 23, 2009

Flu wreaks havoc on sports schedules

Most schools going ahead with football games

By MIKE ECKERT and DENNIS CHASE

TRAVERSE CITY -- Although some schools are closed because of the flu outbreak, all but one of tonight's football games will go on as scheduled.

One game that had been in question was in Grayling, where the 5-3 Vikings are set to host the 6-2 Boyne City Ramblers.

Boyne City schools have been closed since Tuesday and after discussions between superintendents and the MHSAA, the teams will go ahead with the 7 p.m. contest.

"We could have forfeited," Ramblers coach Don Nohel said. "For us, we want to compete and we want to win. Our seniors don't have a lot of games left. They were not in favor of canceling it and neither are we. We're going to have a few kids out, but we will have enough that we feel we can compete."

MHSAA officials said if one school could not play the game, it would have to forfeit. If both schools had been unable to play, it would have been a "no play" game and the records would not have changed.

The game has importance to both teams. Boyne City has qualified for the playoffs, but could pick up considerable playoff points with a win over a five-win Grayling team. The Vikings need the win to guarantee a spot in the playoffs.

"Neither team wants to forfeit," Grayling coach Tim Sanchez said. "There's just too much on the line. We have to play the game."

The JV game between the two schools for Thursday was cancelled. Nohel said he will have a couple of JV players on the sidelines tonight for the varsity game.

"The majority of schools (throughout the state) are continuing to have their athletic events go on," MHSAA communications director John Johnson said. "That's a school district decision. But we have already seen some football games impacted by it."

Cheboygan's game today against Ogemaw Heights has been cancelled. Both teams, however, have already qualified for the playoffs as the Chiefs hold a 6-2 record and the Falcons are 7-1.

"These are times when your concerns are about the community," Johnson said. "You try to make the best decision you can for athletics, but still, what's more important? The community is more important. Health is more important. Safety is more important."

Charlevoix and Harbor Springs have both been hit by the flu, but will play their game today. Like Grayling, the Rayders (5-3) need a win to clinch a spot in the postseason.

"It's our biggest game of the year," Charlevoix coach Don Jess said. "We've got some kids not feeling great, but good enough that we can put them in a position to play one way or give them a breather when they need it. I don't ever remember it being this bad. You always have a couple kids get sick, but nothing like this."

The flu outbreak has hit at a bad time for football with the playoffs looming. The MHSAA will announce the brackets at 7 p.m. Sunday with opening round games the following week.

Johnson said the MHSAA has encouraged schools to get games in if possible because the tournament calendar can't be changed.

"This week, we've seen it affect some teams in the boys district soccer tournament," Johnson said. "We're talking about it daily as a staff and we will continue to monitor it."

Other sports have been hit as well. Thursday's volleyball contest between Traverse City St. Francis and East Jordan was canceled. So was Tuesday's Lake Michigan Conference cross country meet at East Jordan.

"With the season ending very quickly, there wasn't much of a window to squeeze in another run," Elk Rapids athletic director Jim Standerfer said.

To make up for the missed conference meet, league schools will participate in Saturday's Elk Rapids Invitational, which includes more than 20 northern Michigan teams. Lake Michigan Conference schools will be separated from the final results to tally final league standings.

"The nice thing about cross country is there's not a whole lot of contact with each other," Standerfer said. "They run on their own. Plus being outside, there's not a lot of surfaces to touch."

Related Items:
- Three more area schools close due to flu
- Production of swine flu vaccine is way behind
- Interactive Multimedia: A closer look at the pandemic
- Swine flu outbreak closes school
- Swine flu sweeps through region
- Editorial: Answers on swine flu

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