BUFFALO, N.Y. — Back in May, a COVID-19 outbreak put the Bennett High School football team on pause, and after appeals to play were denied, its season ended.
Fast forward several months. On Saturday, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted that Bennett's playoff contest with McQuaid Jesuit High School had been postponed due to a COVID outbreak on the Rochester school's team.
That game was scheduled to be played Saturday night at Williamsville South. It will now be played on Tuesday.
Poloncarz tweeted:
Pursuant to an order from @NYSPHSAA, and in consultation with the @ECDOH and @MonroeHealth Departments, tonight's football game between Bennett HS and McQuaid HS of Rochester is postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak with McQuaid's team. 1/2
McQuaid tried to force the game to be played by judicial order, in contravention of health departments standards, but to the credit of @NYSPHSAA they postponed the game until a full court hearing can be held in the next few days. I would have postponed it if necessary. 2/2
2 On Your Side reached out Saturday evening to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association, which confirmed the postponement.
McQuaid Jesuit issued a statement on Saturday evening, which provided some details about the events that led to the game's postponement.
The NYSPHSAA said it would provide a statement later. That statement was released on Twitter, saying the game would be played on Tuesday.
In May, Section VI denied Bennett the opportunity to reschedule a semifinal playoff game against Lancaster, which advanced to the championship. This season Bennett High School defeated Lancaster in the Section VI championship game to advance and face McQuaid.
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