Undefeated Ohio high school football team
Northmont (Clayton) was forced out of the state playoffs Friday due to a positive test on the team combined with contact tracing and quarantine protocols, according to a post on the athletic program's Twitter account. That development was part of a wave of postseason cancellations in at least three states late this week.
Northmont (8-0) was scheduled to face
Springfield on Friday in the Division I regional semifinals. The Thunderbolts were No. 6 in the MaxPreps statewide computer rankings this week.
Northmont isn't the only team in Ohio to face a virus-related end to the season.
Fairborn and
Troy in Division II also forfeited playoff games earlier this month, among at least 10 Buckeye State teams to do so, according to MaxPreps senior writer Eric Frantz.
Last week, Alaska announced it was canceling its state football playoffs but allowed teams to continue playing at the regional level.
In another Friday development, Jefferson County Public Schools – which operates 22 high schools in Louisville, Ky. – announced it is putting football on hold after tonight's games. The decision will be reviewed next week and teams could be allowed to return to action for the playoffs.
According to the coronavirus statistical database at
worldometers.com, there were 81,210 new cases and 903 deaths reported Thursday around the country and 74,466 new cases Wednesday with 973 deaths.