Chaparral High School Football Player Positive For Coronavirus

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — The entire Chaparral High School football team will quarantine for 14 days after a player tested positive for the coronavirus.

The Scottsdale Unified School District announced the infection in a news release Wednesday night. The player in question last attended football practice on Sept. 25 and is now in isolation. As the players, coaches and staff of the school's varsity football team may have been exposed to the virus, they will all quarantine for two weeks as recommended by the Maricopa County Department of Health.

Maricopa County reported 279 new coronavirus cases and 11 known deaths Friday, bringing the county's total to 142,566 and 3,416, respectively.

“We feel so badly for the affected students that they will not be able to partake in their regular activities during this isolation period,” Dr. Scott A. Menzel, superintendent of the Scottsdale Unified School District, said in a statement. “However, this does serve as a sharp reminder that in order to keep our schools and extracurricular activities open, we must have the strong cooperation from all families, students and staff to monitor their health, recognize and report symptoms, and stay at home when sick or when a family member is sick.”

Friday's game against Saguaro High School is canceled, as is the game against Sandra Day O’Connor High School on Oct. 9. Chaparral's freshman team will continue on with its season but the junior varsity team also saw its games canceled.

The high school is taking a proactive approach with the cancellations: Arizona Interscholastic Association guidelines state games must be canceled after at least three people involved test positive, as reported by the East Valley Tribune. The district said it is conducting contact tracing in partnership with the county department of health.

Cactus Shadows High School and Arete Prep in Gilbert have also canceled games due to positive coronavirus tests.

Chaparral is not currently open for in-person learning, but is set to open Oct. 12 directly following fall break. Elementary schools in the district gave families the option to return to in-person learning Sept. 21.