KIPP Atlanta Collegiate, a public charter school in West Atlanta that competes as the Warriors in Region 6-2A, postponed all sports until Sept. 28, KIPP athletic director Myss Johnson-Jelks told the AJC.
Jelks said that the decision to halt sports wasn’t because of a positive COVID-19 test result.
“(KIPP principal Jondré Pryor) felt that it was the best decision for the safety of our scholars,” she said in an email to the AJC.
The postponement wipes out three Warriors football games according to the most recent schedule the program released: Central-Carrollton (Sept. 4), Duluth (Sept. 18) and region opponent Towers (Sept. 25).
It’s unclear if those games will be rescheduled. As it stands now, the Warriors’ season opener will be Oct. 2 against region opponent Washington.
The Warriors have finished with two wins in each of the last three seasons, and went 2-8 last year in James Briscoe’s lone season as coach. First-year coach Coy Brown is the Warriors’ fourth coach in four years.
In 2016, KIPP went 7-4 for the program’s only playoff appearance, but chose to forfeit the game after the team got into a fight in their season finale. In doing so, they became the first and only team to date to forfeit a playoff game by choosing not to play.
Also in 2A, the Region 4 game between Laney and Josey, scheduled for Sept. 5, has been delayed after a COVID-19 case affecting Laney, according to The Augusta Chronicle. It’s unclear when the game will be rescheduled. Josey finished 0-10 last season; Laney went 4-6.
The Vidalia Indians, who compete in Region 2, issued a statement that their Sept. 11 season opener against Appling County has been cancelled, with practice postponed until at least Sept. 8 after “a small number of the program either tested positive for or have been exposed to the COVID-19 Virus.”
The Indians went 7-4 last season in Lee Chomskis’ 13th and final season with the program. He left for Lincoln County and was replaced by Jason Cameron, who comes to Vidalia after posting a 33-7 record in three seasons at Jenkins.
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