St.Anthony's canceled; opener vs. Farrell
St. Anthony's High School varsity football head coach Rich Reichert, right, gives John Parmenter an encouraging pat on the shoulder during team practice at the school. (Aug. 25, 2011) Credit: James Escher
Flooding in northeastern Pennsylvania caused the cancellation of Friday night's high school football game between St. Anthony's and State College (Pa.).
The State College football team was unable to make the drive to Long Island after rain from Tropical Storm Lee caused road closures and flooded bridges along the Susquehanna River.
"They just felt it was the right thing to do as far as safety issues," St. Anthony's coach Rich Reichert said. "It's kind of hard to question that."
After initially postponing the game to Sunday, State College administration notified St. Anthony's around 3 p.m. Friday that they decided to cancel the game, citing travel concerns on the 10-year anniversary of Sept. 11.
"Administration made the decision based on 9/11 and that type of thing," State College coach Al Wolski said. "The fact of how long it would take to get there based on checking the bus and bridges."
A makeup game hasn't been ruled out entirely -- a Thanksgiving Day game is being considered, according to Reichert -- but seems unlikely because of scheduling conflicts.
"We're booked and I'm sure they're booked for the next nine weeks and then playoffs," Wolski said. "I don't really see it being a possibility."
St. Anthony's season opener will now be at 7 p.m. on Friday when it hosts Farrell.
