Pekin-Cardinal football game canceled

PACKWOOD - The COVID-19 pandemic has caused Friday night lights to dim in the Union coverage area.

Pekin High School announced Tuesday that Friday's home football game with Cardinal has been canceled due to multiple coronavirus cases on the Panthers team. Mid-Prairie had canceled last Friday's home football game with Iowa City Regina due to COVID concerns, but will play host to Central Lee this Friday.

'We had several football players that were found to be positive for COVID that resulted in eight players being exposed and placed on quarantine,” Pekin superintendent Dave Harper said. 'We have worked closely with Public Health to contact trace who those positive students may have exposed. We have placed those students who were in close contact with the positive students on quarantine.”

The school district has taken steps to address the situation.

'Along with determining we could not field a football team on Friday, we have also moved our Homecoming activities to November,” Harper said. 'This was done to reduce any additional chances of exposure this week. We are working diligently to ensure we can continue to provide a safe face-to-face learning environment.”

Head football coach Brent Blakely posted a letter on the team's Facebook page addressing the situation surrounding the cancellation of practices this week and games Friday (varsity) and Monday (junior varsity).

'Given the situation we are in, it was in our best interest to step away for a week and try and get things under control,” Blakely's post said. 'Please understand that our players' safety and health are at the fore front of this decision.”

Cardinal head football coach Landon Miller first heard about a possible cancellation of the Comets-Panthers Friday game early Tuesday afternoon, then heard it was a definire cancel later in the day.

'I didn't tell the kids until after practice,” Miller said. 'We went out and prepared like we were going to be playing on Friday.”

The loss of the game is an obvious blow for both teams, but the Comets avoid a team that has won the last eight games between the schools.

'Pekin has a lot of tradition,” Miller said. 'Their kids play really hard, and they've got a good coach. Every year, it is kind of a measuring stick for us.”

Cardinal has just four touchdowns in those eight games with the combined score at 351-27. That is an average final of 44-3. Yet the Comets appreciate the games with the Panthers.

'I've had a bunch of kids say they were disappointed we didn't play,” Miller said. 'Pekin is a school we want to beat.”

Regina found a different school to play when Mid-Prairie canceled but Cardinal will not attempt to find another game to replace the Pekin contest. This will be the third week of the season, which is when district play begins. However, the Comets have already played three games, getting a Week 0 victory over Columbus. The Monday holiday made this a short week so Miller sees this as a chance for the Comets to improve. The team can always use extra time to heal aches, pains and injuries. Cardinal quarterback Maddux Jones was injured in a 14-7 loss against Southeast Valley two Fridays ago and the time off will help new starter Blaine Bryant, who was effective when Cardinal won Friday, 35-8 over Wayne. Bryant was 13-for-21 passing for 231 yards and two scores. He also led the rushing offense with 52 yards.

'We've got a couple guys that are really going to use this time well in terms of getting rested up,” Miller said. 'We're a team that kind of comes out of games really beat up. Our kids play really hard, especially this year.”

Pekin has had guidance from county health officials as well as athletes' doctors.

'My primary goal is to head this off in hope we can put it behind us as best we can,” Blakely's post said. 'I'd rather deal with it now as we are still early in the season in hopes we don't have it lingering into playoff time. I recognize there is no guarantee of this but it clearly was to a point that we needed to step away from any risk of continuing the spread.”

The announcement carried a range of emotions for many, including the coach.

'It's important we stay positive through this time and stay together. Finger pointing will get us no where, as we have a lot of football ahead of us,” Blakely said on Facebbok. 'My heart hurts for our seniors as we only have so many home games on our schedule.”

The well-being of students and athletes as well as staff is of paramount importance to evreyone at Pekin.

'I encourage you all to keep your heads up and continue to do the best you can with staying healthy,” Blakely said.

Pekin and Blakely will provide more information with online meetings and Facebook posts throughout the week.

The Pekin volleyball team saw a third of its players placed in quarantine until the end of next week for a possible secondary contact. None of them have tested positive.

'We have not had any games canceled yet and we are following all COVID-19 protocols that the school has in place,” head volleyball coach Rusty Crabtree said. 'This is a situation that is constantly changing and we are staying on top of those changes as best as humanly possible and following all guidelines.”

The Panthers have a game at Highland tonight.

The cross-country team has also lost some runners due to quarantine, but the coach has the depth to continue to compete.

'We have two varsity girls and one varsity boy that are quarantined until next Thursday,” head cross-country coach Davis Eidahl said. 'We will still run at (Fairfield's Water Works Park) the Jefferson County park (today). It's a tough situation, but other runners will need to step up.”