Champs Preview

By Jon Gilbert

After Judge Memorial defeated Salem Hills 3-0 in the first round of the 3A boys’ soccer playoffs April 30, the Judge players’ excitement of advancing to the next round was tamed by the strange circumstances of the win.

Referees asked the players not to shake hands with their opponents after the final whistle blew. So opposing players patted each other on the back to avoid hand-to-hand contact. As the Judge players headed toward their parents, Judge athletic director Dan Quinn explained to the Bulldogs why there was a sense of quarantine surrounding the conclusion of the game.

Precautions had been put in place to avoid a H1N1 swine flu virus scare from sweeping through Judge Memorial and beyond. On April 27, Judge Memorial invited guest presenters to the school to teach about various liberal arts. A hairdresser that presented grew ill by the end of the day. Two days later, a student left school with flu-like symptoms and a teacher also became ill. To avoid the potential spreading of the virus, especially in the midst of the national H1N1 alertness, Judge Memorial decided to close school beginning Friday.

“I think it’s a wise choice considering the state of the union,” Quinn said.

Along with school being cancelled, so were any functions that bring groups of students together during a five-day incubation period, according to Quinn. The Judge softball team and tennis team were set to compete May 1, but those contests were
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postponed. Baseball and track and field also have scheduling complications due to the closure. As for the soccer team, its quarterfinals match-up with Desert Hills on Saturday was postponed. The teams finally played the game late Tuesday. Judge won 2-0.

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