What to Know
- Parents and players are praising administrators at a Washington, New Jersey, high school for making a tough call
- For the second straight week Warren Hills High School's football team is forfeiting a game after multiple players have come down with mono
- The decision to forfeit comes roughly four years after Warren Hills quarterback Evan Murray's death
Parents and players are praising administrators at a Washington, New Jersey, high school for making a tough call.
For the second straight week Warren Hills High School's football team is forfeiting a game after multiple players on the team have come down with mono -- a highly contagious virus.
"Kids are our life, so I'm completely behind the administration on this call," Cheryl Anderson, a resident, said.
The decision to forfeit comes roughly four years after Warren Hills quarterback Evan Murray's death. The senior died shortly after taking a hit on the field. The medical examiner said the hit lacerated the 17-year-old's spleen, adding that his spleen was actually abnormally enlarged -- an occurrence that can be tied to mono.
"They took him off the field. He waved he was OK and then later that night he died," Ed Shannon, a town resident, recalled. "That was a tough one for the whole town."
Due to this tragedy, school leader don't want to take any chances.
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"Members of the team tested positive so we decided to cancel this week's game as a precaution," Superintendent Earl Clymer said.
The community backs up this decision. Students share similar sentiments calling the decision "bittersweet."
"We can't do anything about it but of course play is safe," high school senior and football player Justin Coombs said.
While, the superintendent says there is a game scheduled next week, school officials want to continue monitoring the health of the players before making a decision as to whether the team will play that game.
