TEXARKANA, Ark. - Arkansas High's varsity football game in Mount Pleasant on Friday night has been canceled after some players tested positive for COVID-19.
"It's unfortunate," Arkansas High head coach and Athletic Director Barry Norton told the Texarkana Gazette on Wednesday. "We had some positive cases so we went back and did contact tracing and found out that we would have to quarantine several kids."
With those students out, Coach Norton said the team would continue working with the remaining kids in preparation for conference play beginning next week when Magnolia comes to Razorback Stadium.
"We will continue to practice with what's left," Norton said. "The whole ordeal is unfortunate, but you have to think about the kids' safety - their safety will always be the No. 1 priority."
The Razorbacks played just eight games last season - five during regular season and three in the postseason - after having several of their games canceled during the pandemic.
"We didn't play back-to-back games last season until the playoffs because of COVID cancellations," Norton told the Gazette in August for "The Audible" high school football preview magazine." ... We didn't get to play a single JV game."