It is deja vu for the Kosciusko football team. A year ago, Kosciusko had to forfeit two Region 4-4A games while the team was quarantined, which prevented the Whippets from qualifying for the MHSAA playoffs.
With the school going to virtual learning this week and next, Kosciusko will not be able to play the first two games on the schedule, Aug. 27 with Yazoo County and Sept. 3 with Winona. Under MHSAA rules, all athletic contests lost due to a school going virtual will be forfeited.
MHSAA did give schools the opportunity to practice during the virtual period, with approval of the local school board, but that will not be the case for Kosciusko. Superintendent Billy Ellzey said the Kosciusko School Board has not taken action to allow practice and no special meetings are scheduled to consider the option.
“Right now, we are concerned about the safety of our students,” Ellzey said.
In a memo announcing the decision to go virtual, Ellzey said there have been several positive cases involving students and staff. “We now have multiple classes that have three positive cases.”
MHSAA executive director Rickey Neaves said games missed will be forfeited because they cannot be made up.
“There is no time to make up football games because it’s a safety violation if you play more than one a week,” he said.
The two games were against non-region opponents so the forfeits will not hurt Kosciusko's region standings or playoff eligibility.
The last date for virtual learning is Aug. 27, but Kosciusko will not be able to play Winona due to a required 14-day acclimatization period after the virtual period ends. If the school board had given approval to practice during the virtual period, Kosciusko could have played Winona.
Neaves said the MHSAA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee recommended the period so that athletes could acclimate to the elements.
“We’re going to work our way through this as best we can,” said coach Casey Orr. “We’re taking everything day to day right now. You can’t look past tomorrow. Everything is changing,”
Teams may practice in shorts, T-shirts and helmets the first two days of the acclimatization period, Neaves said. “The next three days you can add shoulder pads. Then you can go full gear on day six and you can scrimmage on day 10.”
The 14-day period will end Sept. 10. Kosciusko was scheduled to play at Lewisburg that day, but the game has been moved back one day to the Sept. 11.
“That was the only way we could get our 14-day acclimatization period in and be able to play,” Orr said.
Football players will not be able to access school facilities, including the weight room, during the virtual period.
“They understand what they can do by themselves,” Orr said. “I gave them more of a warning. I said in two weeks you will have to come back. We're going to get you in shape, so it's in your best interest to already be there and not lay on the couch for two weeks.”
Volleyball will also be affected. The team had already canceled two matches and participation in a tournament at Union High School because three players tested positive, requiring the team to quarantine. There will be additional forfeits and the Aug. 21 tournament hosted by Kosciusko has been canceled.
“I'm really sad for my players because they have worked really hard this summer. I just hope we can have a season,” said Coach Nikki Stephenson. “It's not the best feeling in the world to have to forfeit games. But if it comes down to safety, it's what we need to do.”
With the quarantine and virtual, the team will go without practice for four weeks. Stephenson gave the players instructions for conditioning workouts on their own.
Cross country will not be affected nearly as much as the other two sports. Because it is an individual sport, runners can run on their own, and the first meet is not scheduled until Sept. 11 at French Camp.
Athletic director Macy Wilbanks said the school is following MHSAA guidelines.
“We're disappointed, but we have to keep our kids safe,” she said.
The junior high is not affected. Its first football game will at home Aug. 23 against Choctaw County.
