Cobras Volleyball Season Comes To An End Due To COVID-19

Jackson Heights High School’s Cobra varsity volleyball team was ranked top seed at this past Satur­day’s Class 1A-Division I sub-state volleyball tournament at Centralia, it was announced last week.

But instead of taking a shot at a trip to the state tournament, the Co­bras were forced to stay home.

Shortly after last Wednesday’s Holton Recorder went to press, it was announced that a member of the Cobra team had tested positive for COVID-19 (coronavirus) and as a re­sult, the entire team — not including Head Coach Denise Visocsky and Assistant Coach Robin Sides — was placed on quarantine, ending the Cobras’ season prematurely.

It is very upsetting that we had to quarantine the whole team, because we practiced social distancing and were not together with the players who had COVID for more than 10 minutes,” Coach Visocsky said. “We would have worn masks and did less as a group if I’d known that even walking by someone within six feet was going to get us quarantined.”

The Cobras’ regular 2020 season ended with the team at third place in the Northeast Kansas League stand­ings with a record of 11-4, behind Jefferson County North (15-1) and Maur Hill-Mount Academy (9-3), as well as being ranked seventh in the state in the Kansas Volleyball Asso­ciation’s final rankings. The team’s overall record for the season stood at an impressive 21-8, it was reported.

KSHSAA’s original sub-state bracket had the Cobras in the top seed, taking a bye in the first round of playoffs prior to the announce­ment that the team was in quarantine. Centralia, with an overall record of 20-10, was given the top seed, and Frankfort (17-17), whom the Cobras had defeated earlier this season, was given the number two seed.

Jackson Heights Superintendent Adrianne Walsh reported on Thurs­day that two members of the team had tested positive for COVID-19 and 11 teammates were in quaran­tine. No other students, sports or oth­er activities were affected, Walsh said.

Visocsky said the timing of the quarantine was “unfortunate” and that the situation “does not seem fair” for the team members who “have worked so hard this season.” Still, she is hopeful that everyone on the team comes out of quarantine in good health and good spirits.

Our seniors had a great run this year,” Visocsky said. “And we wish the best of luck to all of our younger athletes next year.”

The Holton Recorder

109 W. Fourth St.
Holton, KS 66436
Phone: 785-364-3141
 

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