109 Beaufort county coaches, athletes quarantining past Christmas for COVID-19 exposure
Four Beaufort County high schools and one middle school are quarantining basketball and cheerleading teams after six student-athletes across the school district tested positive for COVID-19.
In total, 109 students and coaches are quarantined until after Christmas.
At May River High School, two basketball players, one on the boys’ team and one on the girls’ team, tested positive for COVID-19. On the boys’ side, 12 junior varsity players, 12 varsity players and two coaches are quarantining through Dec. 29; on the girls’ side, 15 varsity players and two coaches are quarantining until Dec. 30.
At Battery Creek High School, one boys’ basketball player tested positive for COVID-19. Eleven varsity players and one coach are quarantining through Dec. 30 as a result.
At Beaufort High School, one boys’ basketball player tested positive for COVID-19. Thirteen varsity players and two coaches are quarantining through Dec. 30.
At Bluffton High School, one cheerleader tested positive for COVID-19. Ten cheerleaders and one coach are quarantining through Dec. 29. In addition, 13 varsity boys’ basketball players are quarantining through Dec. 29 because they played a game with Beaufort High on Tuesday.
At Lady’s Island Middle School, one boys’ basketball player tested positive for COVID-19. Twelve players and three coaches are quarantining until Dec. 31..
While these teams will not be able to participate in games or practices during quarantine, district spokeswoman Candace Bruder said Friday that the district will not cancel any other sports events scheduled during this period.
“The district continues to implement safety protocols at practices and games, conduct contact tracing and quarantine students and staff accordingly as a safety precaution,” she said.
This week, the district also surpassed 200 reported COVID-19 cases among students and staff since Sept. 28.
The district begins winter break on Dec. 23. When students return to classes on Jan. 4, the district will begin offering five days a week of in-person classes for the first time since schools shut down in March. About 69% of the district’s 21,000-plus students will attend these classes, while the rest will remain online-only.
Many schools around the state have had basketball or wrestling teams quarantined already this season.
Some S.C. districts have already made winter sports decisions to minimize the spread of COVID-19. Richland 1 and 2 districts in Columbia have canceled games from Dec. 15-Jan. 3 but will allow teams to practice twice a week until games resume. Those districts will have online-only learning in the first two weeks after Christmas break.
Dorchester 2 is pausing athletic activities during a two-week e-learning period following winter break from Jan. 4-18. Sumter County, Orangeburg County, Manning, Marlboro County, Cane Bay and Colleton counties have shut down high school sports until January, hoping that COVID-19 numbers will go down. Sports at Bishop England High in Charleston are on hold indefinitely, with the school going to all-virtual classes.
Florence One Schools announced it will shut down athletic activities from Dec. 24 through Jan. 3. Practices can resume Jan. 4, and games Jan. 11.
Basketball programs already adjusted their 2020-21 schedules and reduced the amount of games being played. In a normal year, public schools can schedule up to 27 games, but this year most teams are trying to play between 14 and 18 contests, with region games taking priority because they determine playoff seeding.
According to the South Carolina High School League, 47% of the games scheduled for December were canceled or postponed because of COVID-19 related issues.
Most of the holiday basketball tournaments around the state have been canceled, including the Seahawk Holiday Classic at Hilton Head. The tournament announced in August that it wouldn’t be held this year but will resume in 2021.
This story was originally published December 18, 2020 at 9:21 AM.