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Beavers, Indians on sideline tonight

The Beaver Local and Southern Local football teams are sidelined tonight for different reasons.

The Beaver Local at Martins Ferry regular-season game was canceled Thursday afternoon after one student at Beaver Local tested positive for COVID-19, resulting in 19 football and boys soccer players being quarantined because of contract tracing.

Beaver Local football is done practicing through at least the weekend and will make a decision on the boys soccer sectional tournament match at East Liverpool scheduled for Saturday and the home volleyball district semifinal scheduled for Tuesday.

“We don’t know yet,” Beaver Local football coach and athletic director Mike McKenzie said. “We’re going to evaluate volleyball and soccer (Friday). We’ve got 19 in quarantine for sure and multiple football and multiple soccer players.”

The Beavers, who lost 35-0 to East Cleveland Shaw in the Division IV playoffs on Saturday, do not know what will happen to the rest of their season.

“All I know is we’re down until Monday and then we’ll evaluate it,” McKenzie said.

Southern’s regular-season game at Harrison Central was canceled Wednesday night as the Indians were concerned about their numbers.

Five two-way starters were injured during a 48-14 loss to Norwalk St. Paul in the Division VII playoffs Saturday.

“We got pretty banged up in our playoff game,” Southern coach Rich Wright said. “We lost some key guys. We weren’t real deep to begin with.”

He said the game at Martins Ferry was just scheduled on Monday and Martins Ferry already had a game with Waynedale ready to go. Plus he didn’t want to use a lot of younger players in that game, which is why the Indians will still be playing a junior varsity game at Newton Falls on Saturday.

Wright said the Indians are hoping to return to the field next week.

“We’re still working on it,” he said. “We don’t have anything scheduled.”

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