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Air Force, Army Game Called Off Due To COVID-19 Outbreak
Commander-In-Chief trophy missing a game
Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire
Falcons not traveling, maybe
COVID-19 looks to have given the ax to the Army vs. Air Force game that was to take place at West Point this Saturday morning, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette.
In typical Air Force fashion, the Academy has not confirmed the details of this game being played or not. Also, earlier in the week there were at least seven Falcons players were not going to play this weekend due to contract tracing or being ill, but that number increased.
A source indicated those numbers grew between late Wednesday and early Thursday. It is unclear if any Air Force players or personnel tested positive.
The increase in numbers is why this game was called off, and especially since Air Force was scheduled to leave Thursday to adjust for the early kick time.
Athletics Director Nathan Pine said that all classes are 100% online in a memo obtained by the Colorado Springs Gazette.
“In consultation with USAFA leadership team and our doctors, we have no choice but to increase our team mitigations as well. We will suspend all practicing for a period of time starting (Thursday) to coincide with the 100% COVID testing and remote classes,” Pine said in the memo. “All team practices and lifts will be on hold for a period of time (not sure exactly how long that will be right now but until further notice), our facilities will be closed to cadets for that time as well.
“This is certainly not where any of us wanted to be in early November but we have prepared for conditions to possibly require this. We have to get ourselves reset. Thank you for all that you are doing right now, I appreciate that this is not easy for any one of us or our athletes.”
There is the possibility of Air Force not only not playing Army but with things getting shut down across the campus could miss another game. Up next for the Falcons is luckily a Saturday game vs. Wyoming so that buys them for time, because had it been one of the Thursday or Friday games it would be hard to get that game in. Even the Saturday game on Nov. 14 is very much in question.
With the Army game not being played, there is little room to make up this contest. The most likely week would be Dec. 19 which is also the same day as the Mountain West championship game. Who knows if the Falcons could make it as one of the top two teams but after its 49-30 loss to Boise State they are in the back of the line.
Army plays Navy on Dec. 12 and has already confirmed a bowl appearance on Dec. 26 to play in the Independence Bowl, so that week in between is the only time to get this game played.
The Commander-In-Chief trophy will have an interesting way to pick its winner if the round-robin is not completed between the three service academies.
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