North College Hill (Ohio) High School football coach Greg Conwell said Friday’s scheduled home game against Miami Valley Christian Academy will not be played after MVCA decided Wednesday to not compete against the Trojans.
As reported by Cincinnati ABC affiliate WCPO, the decision comes less than a week after NCH's Sept. 6 game against Cincinnati Country Day ended abruptly midway through the third quarter when shots were fired near an apartment complex across the street from the North College Hill football stadium.
Conwell and NCH athletic director Rayshawn Walton said the Trojans will likely not play a game this Friday night. “We’re ready to play on our end,” Walton said.
In a joint statement Tuesday cited by WCPO, North College Hill City Schools and the North College Hill Police Department said the athletic department has taken proper precaution and implemented procedures to ensure the safety of everyone attending NCH athletic events.
According to the joint statement, policies include but aren’t limited to an administrator at every entry way into the stadium, a requirement that students in grades K-8 must enter the game with their parent, a ban on bags (if a bag is needed, it is thoroughly checked), a ban on re-entry, and police/administrator escorts for the visiting team.
The joint statement said the gunshots Sept. 6 were not fired on school property or aimed at the stadium or anyone inside the stadium.
The status of the NCH versus Cincinnati Country Day game has not changed, WCPO's Mike Dyer reported. Cincinnati Country Day led NCH 28-20 before the game was stopped. Conwell said NCH would like to resume the football game at some point, and Walton confirmed NCH’s intention to resume. “We want to play the quarter and a half,” Walton said.
Cincinnati Country Day coach Dennis Coyle, who is also the school's athletic director, said their school is focusing on the student-athletes.
"No decision on making up the NCH game at this time — will look at in the coming weeks," Coyle wrote in a text message. "But right now we are focusing on CCPA (Cincinnati College Preparatory Academy) and the kids' mental health."
Conwell told WCPO 9 Sept. 7 that the Week 3 game experienced an unfortunate incident and that he is glad everyone involved with the game is safe. Conwell said he’s emphasized to the NCH student-athletes that the football program is attempting to always be a positive reflection of the community.
He said the NCH student-athletes are being “punished” as a result of this week’s game being canceled. As the season stands, North College Hill is winless in its first two games.
Regular-season football games are important due to the computer points that are accumulated to determine the Ohio High School Athletic Association postseason seeding process. “We have an ambition of trying to make the playoffs,” Conwell said.
This Friday’s scheduled game was not considered a conference game and wouldn’t have counted toward the teams’ league standings, Dyer reported.
