COVID hits high school football team

By WVUA 23 News Reporter Jake Smith

Even though Holt High School lost their football game against Brookwood High School, they were happy to have all their players back on the field.  Twenty-five percent of the team was out last week due several players testing positive for to COVID-19.

It was Holt’s season-opener Friday night. The Ironmen had a complete roster for the game, but head coach Brian Newton said 10 players, a quarter of the roster, missed multiple days of practice after testing positive for COVID. Coach Newton said he and his coaches have reinstituted COVID-19 protocols in the locker room and weight room. However, many of his players weren’t able to play to their full  capacity due to missing most of the practices.

“Playing football in August in Alabama is tough as it is, but when you don’t get to practice all week and you’ve been sick prior to that. Then at Holt some of these guys are having come out in that heat and play both ways. It was tough. We had a lot of cramps throughout the game and guys had to be held out because of cramps that normally would be in great great shape,” said coach Newton.

This was coach Newton’s first year coaching the Ironmen. Holt High School plays their next game Friday Sept 2, against the ACA Patriots on Holt’s home field.