Paloma football team shut down after positive COVID-19 tests

Story updated at 4 p.m.:

By Doug Spoon, Editor

The Paloma Valley High School football program has been shut down for at least two weeks after multiple players tested positive for COVID-19.

Parents of Wildcat football players were informed via an email from athletic director Ryan Sharp today. Players were tested on Saturday and the results came back to the school district Tuesday night, said Grant Bennett, superintendent of the Perris Union High School District.

“We have no choice in the matter, really,” Bennett said about the decision to suspend all Wildcat football practices and competition, at least through March 22. “There are state protocols we have to follow. I just feel so bad for the kids. On Saturday, it will be a year since they started to go through this.”

According to state health protocol, high school players in high-contact sports football and water polo must be tested once a week until the county’s case rate per 100,000 falls below 7. Riverside County’s adjusted case rate reported Tuesday was 8.3. PUHSD has contracted with a company that is conducting the weekly tests. It is possible that the team could resume practice on March 23, assuming the county case rate falls under 7 and all subsequent tests of players are negative.

Meanwhile, the Wildcats’ March 19 season opener against Heritage in the Menifee Bowl has been cancelled. Heritage has had no players test positive; the Patriots have already rescheduled their March 19 season opener to be played at Murrieta Valley. The Nighthawks were available because their original opponent, Temecula Valley, had players test positive, Bennett said.

According to the email from Sharp to parents, the players who tested positive were last on campus on Monday. Areas where they spent time on campus were cleaned and disinfected. All players were told to self-quarantine until March 22, and the positive cases were reported to the Riverside County Health Department.

The parent of one Wildcat football player expressed the frustration many are feeling upon hearing the news.

“It breaks my heart that so many seniors have dreamed for this moment to have it taken away,” said Marcos Meza, whose son Tyler plays on the team and has tested negative. “My son had an opportunity to move to Montana during the summer, but I told him that CIF had announced a season to start in December.

“My son was in the process of moving to his grandma’s house in Orange County to play football, but we decided to stop the transfer when we saw Riverside County was only going to be a week behind OC. Now it appears we’re left without a season. This whole year we’ve had a carrot of false hope dangling in front of us. I regret not sending my son to Montana or OC.”

Meza said his son, who was a lineman the last three years, had worked out all summer, lost 45 pounds, and was in competition to be starting middle linebacker this season.

“He was so excited, because that’s like being quarterback of the defense,” Meza said.

According to state and CIF guidelines, other sports approved to play at this point are not required to have athletes tested, so other outdoor sports may continue in competition. High-contact indoor sports such as basketball and wrestling are not allowed to compete until the county’s adjusted case rate falls under 7.