This Friday’s Miami Valley Christian Academy at North College Hill football game won’t be played after NCH said their opponent pulled out.
North College Hill High School football coach Greg Conwell said Fridays scheduled home game against Miami Valley Christian Academy will not be played after MVCA decided Wednesday to not compete against the Trojans.
This decision comes less than a week after NCH’s game against Cincinnati Country Day ended abruptly when shots were fired near 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.
Were ready to play on our end, Walton said.
Messages left with the Miami Valley Christian Academy’s athletic department were not immediately returned.
NCHs Sept. 6 game came to a halt midway through the third quarter after shots were fired near an apartment complex across the street from the stadium on Bising Avenue, police said.
In a joint statement Tuesday, North College Hill City Schools and the North College Hill Police Department said the athletic department has taken proper precaution and procedures to ensure the safety of everyone attending their athletic events.
According to the joint statement, policies include but arent limited to an administrator at every entry way into the stadium, students in grades K-8 must enter the game with their parent, no bags are allowed in (if a bag is needed, it is thoroughly checked), no re-entry into the games and police/administrator escorts for the visiting team.
The joint statement said the gunshots Sept. 6 were not aimed at the stadium or anyone inside the stadium. The statement also said the gunshots were not on the school property.
The status of the NCH versus Cincinnati Country Day game has not changed. Cincinnati Country Day led NCH 28-20 before the game was stopped.
Conwell said NCH had possession of the football and the Trojans would like to resume the football game at some point. Walton confirmed NCHs 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.”
Cincinnati Country Day (2-0) plays host to CCPA (3-0) Friday night.
Conwell told WCPO 9 Sept. 7 that the Week 3 game experienced an unfortunate incident and he is glad everyone involved with the game is safe. Conwell said hes 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 weeks game being canceled.
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.
North College Hill (0-2) is next scheduled to play host to Woodward (0-3) Sept. 20. MVCA (1-2) is scheduled to host Manchester (2-1) Sept. 20.
North College Hill and MVCA are members of the Miami Valley Conference but this Fridays scheduled game was not considered a conference game. MVCA is in the MVC Gray division while NCH is in the Scarlet division. The game wouldnt have counted toward the teams league standings.
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