COVID outbreak shuts down practice, game
The Orlando Evans High School football team has yet to practice after multiple players and an assistant coach tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, several sources have told the Orlando Sentinel.
Practices opened statewide for every high school on Aug. 2, but Evans players had barely stepped into the locker room before everything was shut down. One source called it, “Not even a practice. We had to shut down right then and there.”
The players were quarantined to their homes as of Aug. 2. School started Tuesday in Orange County, but the Evans players had to remain in lockdown. Kenard Lang, who returns to his alma mater as head coach this year, could not be reached for comment.
Athletic director Greg Thompson said he could not speak on the matter. Protocol from the Orange County Public Schools dictates that all interviews with coaches and/or players must go through its office for approval. OCPS is the only school district in the state known to have such rules.
So far, the administration spokespersons at OCPS have offered no comment.
A similar COVID-19 situation at Mount Dora quarantined a few players last week, but the Hurricanes were still able to begin practice on Aug. 2. Those affected players remain in quarantine.
Evans will not be able to return to football practice until Aug. 16, after the two-week quarantine, which is just four days from the Trojans’ originally scheduled kickoff classic game against rival Orlando Jones. That game has been canceled, and Jones already has scheduled a new opponent. The Tigers will face Gadsden County High on Aug. 19 at Jones High School.
With Evans coming back to practice on the 16th, the Trojans will only have nine or 10 — depending on whether they choose to practice on a Saturday — full practices prior to their season-opener against Lyman.
What will make things more difficult for Evans will be the state’s rule that a team must have five full practice days before it can have full pads and “hitting” contact in practice. Evans will only have four days in full pads leading up to the Lyman game, unless the team practices on Saturday, Aug. 21.
Evans also had COVID issues last season. The season opener against West Orange as well as the second game against Jones were canceled after five members of the team/staff tested positive for the virus. Evans played just seven games a year ago, going 2-5 with the wins coming against Oak Ridge and Lyman.