Columbia Acad. latest victim of Week 11 COVID cancellations

By Chris Yow

Columbia Academy athletics director Pernell Knox confirmed on Thursday the Bulldogs would have to sit out this Friday’s game against Fayette Academy due to COVID-19 cases among team members.

“We had a couple positive tests on our team, and we’re expecting a few more,” Knox said. “We felt it was in the best interest of everyone to shut it down.”

With a playoff spot locked up, CA will also likely be forced to forfeit their first-round playoff game as well. Knox said administrators will meet on Friday to discuss options for playoffs, but said the outlook was “gloomy.”

Knox said he expected this would happen at some point in the school year, but the unfortunate timing makes it more difficult to handle. He added there were no concerns going forward, as protocols are set in place for these issues.

“I’m not concerned; we’ve done our homework, and we have the kids’ health and safety out front,” Knox said. “With things changing day-to-day, not knowing where kids are getting it from, we don’t feel like we have any major issues in the school.

“If it was a CA thing, it’d be one thing, but we have no idea where kids are getting it.”

The Bulldogs are the third local team affected by COVID in Week 11. Summit and Spring Hill each earned wins against their region opponents this week. The Raiders were also the beneficiary of a shutdown of DeKalb County’s program, meaning Spring Hill has advanced to the second round of the Class 4A state playoffs, set to be played two weeks from Friday.

Chris Yow is the multi-media director for Southern Middle Tennessee Sports. Reach him by email at sports@sm-tnsports.com or on Twitter @ChrisYow14.

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