Calumet and River Forest are yet two more schools in the Region that have suspended prep sports activities due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Both schools notified their athletes and their athletes' parents via email Tuesday, joining Boone Grove and Portage, and explained that their decisions were "out of an abundance of caution."
Lake Ridge New Tech Schools superintendent Dr. Sharon Johnson-Shirley did not offer up a date for Calumet to resume prep sports workouts and practices, but River Forest School Superintendent Dr. Steven Disney stated that its suspension is only for the rest of the week.
"We realize this will be disappointing for our students," Johnson-Shirley and Disney both wrote in their emails. "However, the health and safety of our students and staff members must remain our first priority at all times."
Additionally, both superintendents cited that "several school systems in Northwest Indiana have also taken these precautionary measures."
River Forest football coach Joe O'Connell, who is preparing for his third season at the helm, plans to be back with his players early next week. The Ingots finished 6-5 last year for their first winning campaign since 2011 and are eyeing back-to-to back winning seasons for the first time in nearly two decades.
"We have shut down temporarily, and we will be resuming July 20," O'Connell wrote in a text message to The Times. "The shutdown was due to an increase of cases in the community."
Calumet football coach Rick Good was not surprised by his school's choice to curb its prep sports activities. The Warriors have had five practices during Phase 1 of the Indiana Department of Education's plan to restart prep sports, but he anticipated that there may be a few hiccups along the way.
From Good's perspective, he would rather have Calumet overact to protect his players' health than for the school to be overconfident and careless.
"We've gotta make sure that kids are safe on our watch, so I understand exactly where the administration is coming from," Good said. "But as a football coach, obviously we'd like to be out there taking care of the mental health side of things with the kids, as well."
CJ Cooper, who is preparing for his senior season, has tried to remain positive despite Tuesday's disheartening news. The Warriors' standout running back will continue training on his own and expects his teammates to do the same.
After narrowly missing out on the program's first sectional championship last year, Cooper's main focus — even amid the COVID-19 outbreak — is to give Calumet another shot at history.
"This is really a unique situation, and it is devastating right now," said Cooper, who practiced with his team Monday. "But I know this is just a suspension and not the end of our season, so we still have hope."
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