COVID-19 protocols send many North Country football games back to the bench

MASSENA. COVID-19 protocols led to many recent varsity football games in the North Country being either postponed or canceled.

Among them was the Friday, Oct. 1 7:15 p.m. game between Massena and Ogdensburg, both of whom are thus far unbeaten this season. They will now play Oct. 30. That same night, a Potsdam-Brasher game scheduled for 6 p.m. was also postponed. Another COVID-related postponement from the weekend was Canton at Malone.

In fact, only one football game in all of Section 10 slated for that weekend actually took place: Gouverneur at Watertown on the afternoon of Saturday, Oct. 2.

The COVID-related issues extended to the west into Jefferson County, where a Thursday, Sept. 30 Sandy Creek-Beaver River game was postponed.

COVID-19 in St. Lawrence County has been at a high rate of transmission, according to regular updates from the county Public Health Department. Their positivity rate has been around or above 5% for weeks, and new deaths from the illness are reported weekly.