Image of Highland High football team. Photo credit: Facebook
SALT LAKE CITY — In the first school-related COVID-19 shutdown of the year a high school football game has been canceled. Highland High and Bountiful High won’t play after a Highland player tested positive for the virus.
A spokeswoman for the Salt Lake City School District said the player last attended practice on Wednesday and tested positive on Thursday.
“Anyone who is vaccinated does not need to quarantine,” said Yandry Chatwin. “But we don’t know who’s vaccinated and who isn’t, the Health Department is handling that data and we’re not allowed to ask.”
Chatwin said based on data from the Utah Department of Health, only 42% of 12-17-year-olds are vaccinated in the Salt Lake School District.
“Which means that if those numbers on this football team are on par with what the Health Department says is across our district, then we likely may not have enough to play a game today,” Chatwin said.
Highland’s junior wide receiver and safety Myles Folau said he and his teammates are “bummed.”
“We’ve been waiting for this game because we lost last season to them … it had to happen the day of the game,” Folau said disappointedly. “Like no one was feeling sick during the summer — nothing. Just right before the game.”
According to Folau, he believes much of the varsity team is vaccinated and coaches make them wear masks for meetings. But he said he thinks the game was canceled because the varsity players practice, in part, with freshman and sophomore teammates.
“When we all warm-up, we warm-up as a team, and then after that, we split up. Varsity and the freshman and sophomores go to the other side of the field.” Folau said.
The game was set to be Highland’s season home opener.