Monday, February 17, 2025

Here’s more information on why Jamestown forfeited that football game

Jamestown High School (Courtesy Google Maps)
Jamestown High School (Courtesy Google Maps)

On Tuesday afternoon, Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools announced it would have to forfeit a football game on Friday.

The reason: Injuries.

Out of 23 players on the Jamestown High School football team, six had injuries resulting in the principal, Howard Townsend, athletic trainer, the school’s athletic director, Kenny Edwards, and team coach to decide to forfeit Friday’s game against local rival Lafayette High School, according to a news release from the district.

The decision was made Monday afternoon and told to the players after school, said Eileen Cox, spokeswoman for the district.

RELATED STORY: Jamestown football team forfeits Friday game. Here’s why

Cox said the injuries were because of game-related activities throughout the season so far.

While none of the players were reported to have suffered concussions, Cox said the injuries vary from deep tissue bruising to sprains. 

“They’re more [from] the wear and tear of playing football,” she said. “It’s just about wanting to make sure that not only do they have time to heal properly.”

Cox said over the course of the season, the school’s athletic trainer will evaluate players on their ability to play and check in on their various stages of healing. Each week, players will be evaluated and the trainer will determine whether or not their injuries have healed enough for them to step back onto the field. It is not yet decided if the school will forfeit future games.

“It’s unfortunate,” she said. “I know the principal had some thoughtful conversations with the athletic trainer and coach and decided at the end of the day that these are student athletes and we have to be aware of the student portion of that and look out for their safety.”

Cox said the Virginia High School League recommends having 25 players for a team, but the Jamestown already only had 23 before the injuries. This meant there would be a limited amount of players to switch on and off the field during a game if they got tired or hurt.

Cox said the reason for the smaller number of players could be because of a national rise in popularity with other sports, such as soccer. 

There also is not a junior varsity team at Jamestown and hasn’t been for the past two years — so there isn’t a second-string team from which players can be pulled. Cox said there are players on the team who are smaller in size and younger that would be similar to JV players, but the school wouldn’t feel comfortable putting them against opponents that are potentially more skilled and larger.

The students who are injured play a variety of positions, Cox said, which means they represent a large portion of the team, especially for one of its size.

However, Cox said the most important thing is for the students to heal properly before they can start to play again.

Jamestown’s next football game is scheduled for 7 p.m. at New Kent High School on Nov. 1. 

Alexa Doiron
Alexa Doironhttp://wydaily.com
Alexa Doiron is a multimedia reporter for WYDaily. She graduated from Roanoke College and is currently working on a master’s degree in English at Virginia Commonwealth University. Alexa was born and raised in Williamsburg and enjoys writing stories about local flair. She began her career in journalism at the Warhill High School newspaper and, eight years later, still loves it. After working as a news editor in Blacksburg, Va., Alexa missed Williamsburg and decided to come back home. In her free time, she enjoys reading Jane Austen and playing with her puppy, Poe. Alexa can be reached at alexa@localvoicemedia.com.

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