Roughly six miles separates Paden City and Magnolia High Schools in Wetzel County. In that span you’ll find two of the top Class A volleyball programs and three of the top players in the state.
Earlier tonight, both should have been playing their opening Class A sectional games: Magnolia playing Valley; Paden City versus Madonna.
The emphasis is on should. Neither game was played. You can blame the decision on COVID-19 and you’d be partially correct.
But it wasn’t the color of a map that spelled doom for Magnolia, Paden City and Valley. It was the decision of Wetzel County Schools Superintendent Ed Toman.
Toman issued a release, stating that in consultation with the Wetzel-Tyler Health Department and analyzing data, the school was going remote through November 13th and all extra curricular activities would cease.
The problem? Wetzel County came in yellow on Saturday’s West Virginia Department of Education map. Going by the daily totals, Wetzel is currently in gold. By SSAC rules, they are still eligible for postseason play.
LedeNews.com reached out to Mr. Toman and asked him to comment and for further clarification. His response, received via email at 3:12 p.m., was to simply copy and paste the text of the earlier official release.
That release text can be found below.
The Official Release
- Effective immediately Wetzel County Schools will continue with distance learning through Friday, November 13th, 2020.
- After working with the Wetzel-Tyler Health Department and analyzing our data, in order to protect our students, staff and communities at large we have deemed it necessary to cancel all extra curricular activities during this time due to an increase in positive cases within our communities.
- ALL Wetzel County Schools will continue with distance learning Thursday,
- November 5th, through Friday, November 13th. During this time teachers/ staff will work remotely and NOT report; no extra curricular activities will take place.
- Students and staff will report for in-person learning on Monday, November 16th; an update will be provided prior to outlining the transition schedule for that week.
- Only essential personnel as deemed by the Superintendent of Schools will report to their facilities.
- To prevent the spread of COVID-19, everyone is urged to follow best health practices as outlined by the CDC, DHHR and the WVDE guidance. This includes: wearing face coverings, practicing social distancing, hand washing and cleaning protocols regularly. Families are encouraged to self-isolate as much as possible in order to reduce contagion. Free testing is being provided by the Wetzel-Tyler Health Department in various locations around the county.
- We will continue to provide updates and thank you in advance for your understanding.
So What Gives?
“We followed the guidelines and used the color-coded map all season and all of a sudden, today, we are not going to follow the guidelines and recommendations from the state?” said Jennifer Yeater, head coach of the once-beaten and 2019 Class A runner-up Wildcats’ volleyball team. “It’s very disappointing and frustrating.”
Yeater said she spoke with Toman, who insisted the decision was based on guidelines and the recommendation of the local health department. Yet Yeater later spoke with a representative from the health department, who explained the department made no such recommendation.
“We spoke to the Wetzel Tyler Health Department and they stated that they did not recommend that,” Yeater said. “They did not tell him to close the schools and athletics.”
Yeater is fighting to get the decision overturned. She’s upset for her girls, who are missing out on a chance to return to Charleston.
She’s also upset as a mom. Her daughter Mallory is one of the aforementioned all-state caliber players, along with teammate Hope Weber and Magnolia’s Mady Winters.
“She’s frustrated, but she knows I’m fighting and I’ll go down fighting for her and the team,” Yeater said. “There are a lot of people behind her and fighting for her and we have one person standing in our way.”
That’s the hard part to take according to Magnolia coach Pam Chapman.
Her team, like Paden City, has a real shot at not only reaching states but winning. The map says gold, so what’s the deal.
“If it had turned red during the week, I could take that because we wouldn’t be eligible to play,” Chapman said. “But as of right now, we’re gold and according to the SSAC, we can play.
“That’s the hardest part is trying to understand why? Why are we not allowed to play?”
Not Just Volleyball
Given the high hopes surrounding these teams, volleyball appears to be taking the brunt of this decision.
But it isn’t alone.
The schools in Wetzel County were to compete in the regional cheerleading competition on Saturday. That’s now off. The same can be said for a marching band competition also set for Saturday.
Hundred’s football game? Canceled.
Chapman isn’t trying to ignore the seriousness of the coronavirus. But she also understands there are rules set in place that teams have followed all season to the letter.
Now it feels like the students and student athletes in Wetzel County are being unfairly targeted above and beyond what the map and regulations call for.
“I understand this virus, it’s not good and I don’\t want to put anyone’s health in danger,” Chapman said. “But we’ve been going by the colors all season. Ultimately, we should be playing tonight.”
As of now, Madonna is the lone team not eliminated because of COVID or executive decision in the section. The Blue Dons will advance to Saturday’s regional. Unless something changes.
Neither Yeater nor Chapman said they believed their respective games were officially forfeited yet. But time is running out quickly.
“Saturday is the regional and we haven’t even played our sectional matches yet. We’d have to get in three matches before Saturday,” Chapman said. “We’re doing all that we can, calling whomever we need to call.”
“It just hurts because it feels like someone who should be fighting for us is fighting against us,” Yeater added.
