Pentucket football to miss first two games due to coronavirus concerns

Mac Cerullo, The Daily News of Newburyport, Mass.
·2 min read

Mar. 1—WEST NEWBURY — After several months of waiting for the start of the high school football season, the Pentucket football team will have to wait a couple of weeks longer before its first game.

Pentucket athletic director Dan Thornton confirmed Monday that the varsity football team is currently in quarantine due to coronavirus concerns within the program, and as a result the team will not be able to play until Week 3 of the season due to MIAA preseason practice requirements.

Pentucket was originally scheduled to play North Reading in Week 1 and then Newburyport in Week 2, but those games will no longer take place. Should the team get back to practice on schedule and assuming no additional COVID issues pop up afterwards, the team's season opener would be Friday, March 26 at Lynnfield at 5:30 p.m.

Thornton said the varsity team entered quarantine last Wednesday after two practices and is scheduled to return to the field next Monday, March 9. MIAA rules dictate that all players must complete 15 days of practice before competing in a game, meaning Pentucket's varsity players would need to take part in 13 days of practice before becoming eligible for a game.

Under that timeline, the soonest Pentucket's varsity players could become game-eligible would be Tuesday, March 23. Though the sub-varsity team is not in quarantine and could technically play in the varsity's place, Thornton said it wouldn't be safe to have JV players lining up against varsity teams.

The quarantine is a major setback for a program that already faced significant logistical challenges this season due to the ongoing construction at Pentucket Regional High School. The team is currently without a home field and is set to play all of its game on the road. Due to limited field space in the district the team also plans to practice primarily on the turf fields at Amesbury Sports Park.

Barring any additional changes, Pentucket football's schedule is as follows:

Fri., March 26 at Lynnfield 5:30 p.m.

Sat., April 3 at Hamilton-Wenham 1 p.m.

Fri., April 9 at Ipswich 5 p.m.

Sat., April 17 at Amesbury 1 p.m.

Fri., April 23 at Triton 5 p.m.