Dozens of Middletown athletes, coaches quarantined after coronavirus cases end seasons

Credit: Marcus Hartman

Credit: Marcus Hartman

A Middletown High School football coach testing positive for the coronavirus has resulted in dozens of student-athletes and coaches being quarantined and the cancelation of their season.

Middletown City Schools spokeswoman Elizabeth Beadle said the district canceled the junior varsity game against Hamilton scheduled for Wednesday and the varsity game against the Big Blue on Friday.

Beadle said a junior varsity player was confirmed positive last week, and the coach was confirmed positive this week.

“A total of 67 JV and varsity football players and 14 coaches have been quarantined for two weeks following contact tracing,” Beadle said. “The football staff member spent an extensive amount of time with the players.”

Beadle said she was not sure if the coach had symptoms, but that he got tested and made notifications to the athletic director and city Health Department.

“He followed the proper protocols," she said.

When making these decisions, Middletown schools follows the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Return to Play guidelines and the Middletown Health Department guidelines, the district said Monday.

Principal Carmella Cotter said the Middletown/Hamilton rivalry is special and the students were disappointed about the season ending like this.

The Middies finished the season 1-6 and most recently lost to Oak Hills, 29-20, on Oct. 16.

Hamilton announced it had changed its schedule to play Dublin Jerome on Thursday.

The city of Middletown Health Department has recorded 796 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic started earlier this year.

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