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A county-wide rash of school-safety threats this past week had a disappointing and disparate impact on Newberry High, causing sudden shutdowns from competition for both the Panthers’ football and volleyball teams.
Four out of five days this past week, Newberry High received a threat of a bomb or shooting, now known to have derived from local juveniles on social media. The threats began Monday, and by Tuesday, school sports had been halted out of precaution. The Panthers volleyball team, hosting Senior Night this past Tuesday, lost out on that significant match. Meanwhile, Panther Stadium sat quiet in the dark Friday night, a stark contrast from the full house annually anticipated on Homecoming night.
“It’s very disappointing,” Newberry football coach Ed Johnson said Friday night from his home. “We had to stop practicing after Monday and couldn’t even prepare this week for Friday night.”
Newberry (3-2) was to host Williston Friday for its Homecoming game. Instead, the Alachua County School Board precluded the Panthers from suiting up all week.
“We couldn’t practice, so we couldn’t play,” Johnson added.
Likewise, the Panthers volleyball team, 11-6 and state finalists three of the past five years in Class 1A, had its week derailed by the delinquency.
Flowers were delivered to Newberry’s gym Tuesday for that evening’s Senior Night ceremonies vs. Chiefland before the match was canceled. That game was lost, as was practice time Wednesday and Thursday, even after the gym and all other school buildings were swept for safety.
“We were all ready to go before we got the word it wasn’t going to happen,” said volleyball coach Hank Rone. “It’s been tough. Senior Night is a big deal for a group of girls who have given a lot to our program here.”
Newberry volleyball got back to practice Friday afternoon ahead of its weekend matches Saturday at Taylor Pierson. It hopes to reschedule Senior Night, but will have to overcome the ill-timed lapse in activity.
“This is a key time for us, just a couple weeks from the playoffs,” Rone added. “Even three days off causes rust when we want to be building up to the most important stretch of our schedule.”
Football won’t have the recourse volleyball might. The Panthers essentially had a week wiped out in the middle of their season. The School Board’s decision to disallow any activity may be a head-scratcher, but one Newberry’s teams have no control over.
“It’s unfortunate,” Johnson said. “It’s a bad joke that’s gone way too far.”
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