Montezuma-Cortez halts volleyball program because of COVID-19

Practices and competition shut down through Oct. 25

Kala Parkinson

Journal staff writer

Thursday, Oct 21, 2021 5:40 PM MT

Updated Sunday, Oct 24, 2021 5:57 PM MT

Elinore Muhonen, Isabella Tewell and Delta Sickla celebrate a Panther score Tuesday night against Mancos. (Sam Green/Special to The Journal)Sam Green/Special to The Journal

Montezuma-Cortez halts volleyball program because of COVID-19

The Montezuma-Cortez High School volleyball program is shut down through Tuesday because of multiple cases of COVID-19, according to a news release from the school.

For the junior varsity and C teams, the season has ended.

Hailey Higgins attempts go get the ball past Carlie McClellan and Elise Galbraith Tuesday night in Cortez. (Sam Green/Special to The Journal)Sam Green/Special to The Journal

Riley Cannon and Teya Yeomans keep the ball in play for their teammates Tuesday. (Sam Green/Special to The Journal)Sam Green/Special to The Journal

Eligible varsity players can begin to practice again Oct. 26, the release said.

The team last played Tuesday, when it beat Mancos High School 3-1 at home.

A game against Grand County High School Oct. 14 had been canceled previously.

M-CHS was next scheduled to play against Centauri High School Saturday at 3 p.m.

A game against Durango originally scheduled for Oct. 12 was postponed because of illness and rescheduled for Oct. 25.

It was unclear whether M-CHS would reschedule or forfeit its missed games. According to the sports website MaxPreps, the team is in fourth place in the Intermountain League, with a 2-5 league record.

According to outbreak data released Wednesday by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Montezuma-Cortez High School last reported 11 active cases of the coronavirus – nine students and two staff – on Oct. 1.

“The health and safety of our athletes is of the utmost importance, which is why we had to make this tough decision,” said the news release from M-CHS Principal Eric Chandler and Vice Principal and Athletic Director David Robinson.

This article will be updated as more information becomes available.