GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL)- Greeneville High School’s Athletic Director Brad Woolsey announced Tuesday that the football team’s first game of the season has been canceled.
Woolsey said the staff was concerned the student-athletes would not be “physically prepared” for the competition on August 21.
“The biggest thing you think about is are the kids gonna be prepared and that’s not even a prepared to win type of thing it’s are they gonna be prepared to compete,” Woolsey said.
Superintendent Steve Starnes told News Channel 11 that multiple football players tested positive for COVID-19.
“Student safety is first and foremost, it’s at the front of every decision we make so that was our first thought and then working through these other situations once we’ve got a better handle on this,” Starnes said.
There were a total of eight athletes at Greeneville Middle School and Greeneville High School that tested positive for COVID-19, four of those were football players.
School officials are still waiting on test results for four more students, according to Woolsey.
The school district received those positive test results on Monday.
Greeneville City Schools officials said Tuesday that athletics at the high school and middle school were shut down after some students tested positive for COVID-19.
“Looking at those groupings how they were in close contact with, even more so just making sure that we are as in overabundance of caution just being safe with this,” Starnes
You can read the full statement from Woolsey below.
“Greeneville’s opening football game with Powell has been cancelled. Our athletic staff is concerned that student-athletes will not be physically prepared on August 21st for competition in light of our recent football shutdown which lasts until August 10th. Playing on the 21st would only allow our athletes 2 weeks to prepare with full contact for this game. We believe this is insufficient. We will search for a replacement game on our open date September 25th.”
Brad Woolsey, Greeneville Athletic Director
