COVID affecting area teams

WELLMAN - With Wednesday's announcement that Mid-Prairie had canceled its Friday football game with Iowa City Regina and Thursday's volleyball match between Mid-Prairie and West Branch was postponed, COVID-19 has shown its ability to impact sports.

Burlington, which is in the Class 3A district with Fairfield, Mt. Pleasant, Keokuk, Fort Madison and Washington, canceled its football game last Friday with Ottumwa. Burlington also called off Thursday's volleyball match against West Burlington and its girls swim meet at Keokuk when the COVID-19 positive cases in Des Moines County rose above the 15 percent threshold.

Ottumwa was still able to play Friday, picking up a game against Central DeWitt. Central DeWitt won 14-7. DeWitt was to play Maquoketa in what was supposed to be the 97th meeting since 1919 between the two rivals, but Maquoketa canceled after a player's positive COVID-19 test.

Montezuma, in the district with New London, WACO and Winfield-Mount Union, was set to open its 8-man football season against fellow district member Twin Cedars, but that game was canceled after positive COVID-19 tests among students and staff at Twin Cedars forced classes to be called off Aug. 25 and Aug. 26. The Braves found another opponent and played Saturday, winning 39-38 over Kingsley Pierson. W-MU plays at Montezuma tonight.

Twin Cedars has also cancelled tonight's game with Lone Tree.