18 Players At Practice Not Enough

Tonight's non-conference game between the Sprague Olympians and the Lake Oswego Lakers is the latest game to be cancelled due to illness outbreaks, and the first at the 6A level.

Approximately 400 students were absent Tuesday from Sprague, and the number climbed to 600 midweek. As a result, only 18 players were available for practice, and less than a dozen of the varsity.

Sprague (5-2, 3-2) has already clinched a playoff berth from the Central Valley conference, holding a tie-breaker over all the teams below them in the standings who could catch them, and has two weeks to get healthy, with only a road game to winless Redmond remaining.

While some schools in smaller classifications routinely take the field with that amount of players, they have worked the same players in the same positions all season. Illness didn't consult the depth chart when striking the Olympians, prompting the decision to cancel the game, rather than risk further damage, including the possibly of further spreading illness.

Lake Oswego (5-3, 5-0) has also clinched a playoff berth already, and will be rested if not tested when they host Oregon City next week, possibly with the Three Rivers Conference title at stake. Lake Oswego can claim the title with a win, while an Oregon City upset would most likely produce a three way tie, with  West Linn.

CC

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it