COVID-19 protocols bring Rock Falls season to premature end

The Rock Falls football season came to an abrupt end on Thursday as the Rockets entered COVID-19 protocol, wiping out Saturday’s game against Stillman Valley and their Week 6 game against Winnebago.

The game against Stillman Valley had been hastily added to the schedule earlier in the week after Rock Falls’ original Week 5 opponent, Oregon, also entered quarantine, as did Stillman Valley’s original Week 5 opponent, North Boone.

The Rockets had just 18 healthy players dressed for practice on Wednesday, and by Thursday everyone was quarantined under COVID mitigation protocols.

“We quarantined the entire program,” Rock Falls athletic director Rich Montgomery said. “They all dress and they all practice together. Not much you can do about it. If you follow the mitigations, that’s what happens.”

Rock Falls football players planning to play a spring sport will still be able to do so once their quarantine ends in two weeks.

The quarantine also means an end to the seasons for the cheer and dance teams, with Saturday’s game meant to be the final home game of the season.

Stillman Valley’s open date on the schedule did not last long. Later in the day Thursday, Mendota, who had faced Rock Falls in Week 4, also went into COVID quarantine and called off its scheduled game against Dixon, so the Dukes and Cardinals will face each other at 2 p.m. Saturday at A.C. Bowers Field.