MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The 2020 high school football season in West Virginia was scheduled to begin with Wirt County and Trinity taking the field as the first game of the season statewide.
The game however has been called off. Wirt County has elected not to make the trip to Morgantown due to rising COVID cases in Monongalia County. Trinity confirmed the game cancellation just after noon on Thursday in the following statement:
“Trinity Christian School Superintendent Michelle Stellato was notified late this morning by the Wirt County superintendent that the football team was forfeiting today’s game versus the Warriors, refusing to play due to Trinity’s location in Monongalia County which currently falls into the orange category in the WV school re-entry metrics. The Trinity administration is very disappointed in the decision by Wirt County officials since the guidelines do not prohibit athletic contests while in the orange zone and the Trinity athletic department has been following WVSSAC guidelines in preparation for tonight’s game.”
WVSSAC Executive Director Bernie Dolan confirmed Thursday afternoon that the game would result in a forfeit victory for Trinity, because both counties are currently allowed to play under the current state metrics. A ‘no contest’ would only be awarded if one or both schools resided in a county where competitions were not currently allowed.
It is likely that schools in Monongalia County will not be able to compete in extracurricular activities next week due to rising COVID case numbers. That would be confirmed by the next update to the state metrics on Saturday, September 5.