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Rains affecting area’s sports programs

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Courtesy of Debbie Johnson

Rising waters surround Kennedy Field at West Greene High School.

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The Waynesburg University football field is flooded after inclement weather over the weekend.

In case you didn’t notice, it has rained in the area over the last three days.

A lot.

Mother Nature has again wreaked havoc on the schedules of some local high school teams to start the week.

A majority of soccer, golf and volleyball matches were postponed on Monday and some schools cancelled classes because of flooding concerns.

Even some football teams had to cancel practice on Monday because fields were submerged. The football fields at Waynesburg University and West Greene High School were flooded.

The Pioneers are tentatively set to host Mapletown on Friday.

“Right now, our field is under water,” WG football coach Rodney Huffman said. “It’s too early to tell what we are going to do about Friday’s game. We will address it as the week will progress. Safety is our first priority. If we have to move the game to a neutral site or at Mapletown, we might do that. Only time will tell.”

After losing their Week Zero matchup to Cameron, W.Va., West Greene has rattled off convincing Tri-County South Conference wins over Bentworth (41-7) and Chartiers-Houston (41-0).

“Everyone is facing this weather situation,” Huffman said. “We cancelled school, so that meant we couldn’t practice on Monday. Weather is an uncontrollable factor. If we can’t get outside this week, then we will hit the film and weight rooms. Monday is usually a light day of practice, so we are not too far behind this week.”

Beth-Center is another hot team in the area, currently atop the Interstate Conference, and the Bulldogs were affected by the weather, too.

“School was cancelled today and they already cancelled classes on Tuesday,” B-C coach Joe Kuhns said. “Some of the roads are still undriveable around the area and we are just being cautious. Right now, our practice field is a pond with geese floating in it. We will get our film study in, and maybe work on some running and lifting drills if we can’t go outside.”

The Bulldogs (2-0, 3-0) are fresh from a 50-15 rout of Brownsville on the road last Friday. In three games so far this season, B-C has averaged 48 points per game.

“We have a veteran group and our kids should be fine this week,” Kuhns said. “In high school football, you have to expect everything. Last week, it was the heat. This week, it’s flooding. We are going to go about our business as usual and try to prepare for the game on Friday.”

B-C visits Southmoreland in Week 3.

Another red-hot team in the Interstate Conference that has had some trouble with flooding is McGuffey.

“Our area has taken a lot of rain and some of our players’ homes were flooded,” McGuffey coach Ed Dalton said. “It’s been a little crazy around here and some roads are under water. We are always cautious when it comes to this type of stuff. I think the last time we had to cancel practice was on 9-11. So it doesn’t happen too much.”

The Highlanders (1-0, 3-0) have been led by their defense through the first three weeks of the season, only allowing 21 points against Ambridge, Northgate and Frazier. McGuffey hosts Carmichaels on Friday.

When the rain stops, it will still be unknown whether some of the fields will be playable this week. They must drain first.

“We will add some more times to these next couple of practices and we will definitely be ready for a good Carmichaels team coming in here on Friday,” Dalton said. “With technology nowadays, kids can watch the game and practice film at home. We have been clicking these last couple of weeks, but we know we can improve every week.”

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