The Bangor High School football team left campus Friday afternoon for an evening game at Scarborough with approximately half of the squad left behind to quarantine due to close contact with COVID-19 cases, according to athletic administrator Steve Vanidestine.
“We’re following CDC guidelines and protocols, and the students who are quarantining will miss this game and the Thornton Academy game next week,” he said.
Bangor’s roster had 48 players for its season opener at Brewer two weeks ago, meaning the number of quarantining players is in the low to mid-20s.
Vanidestine indicated there was at least one case of COVID-19 within the team, with the great majority of the sidelined players in quarantine for 10 days due to close contact.
“We’re probably going to struggle for two weeks and then come back and play, but we left for Scarborough at 2 o’clock with the players we have,” he said.
Vanidestine said the quarantining players would be eligible to return on Sept. 25, though the Maine Principals’ Association’s sports medicine advisory committee has recommended that student-athletes coming out of quarantine go through a practice and a walk-through before returning to competition.
That still would make the players eligible for Bangor’s Oct. 1 home game against Deering of Portland.
Bangor is off to a 2-0 start this fall with wins over Brewer and Lewiston, but coach Dave Morris’ club was entering a rugged two-game stretch with road games at Scarborough on Friday and at Thornton Academy of Saco on Friday. Sept. 24.
Scarborough was 1-1 going into its game against the Rams after a 20-6 loss last weekend to Bonny Eagle of Standish, but the Red Storm began the season with a 33-9 record over the previous four years.
Thornton Academy has won four Class A state championships in the last eight years and lost to Bonny Eagle in the most recent state final in 2019. The Golden Trojans are 2-0 so far this season with wins over Sanford and Marshwood of South Berwick, the three-time defending Class B state champion.
Thornton Academy is scheduled to host Lewiston this Friday night.