Snowy weather sickens Central football players

Central High’s football team played at Plainview JFK High School last Saturday in cold and snowy weather, sending several players from both the Eagles and the Hawks to the hospital.

Courtesy Grace Meltzer

Several Central High School football players were taken to a local hospital last Saturday after suffering from hypothermia during the last game of the season. The Eagles were playing against the Plainview JFK High School Hawks in Plainview, a game that started at 1 p.m.

During halftime, when the teams went into the locker rooms, players from both sides began displaying symptoms of hypothermia, according to Valley Stream Central High School District Superintendent Dr. Bill Heidenreich. The rest of the game was not played.

It was snowing during the game, and the temperature, factoring in the wind chill, was in the 20s. Heidenreich said the guideline to cancel a game is when the temperature is 11 degrees below zero, with wind chill. Saturday’s temperature was well above that mark, however, players still got sick. “In October, the last thing on anyone’s mind is a snowstorm,” he said. “It will be interesting to see what happens as a result of this.”

Heidenreich said it is likely that the Nassau County Athletic Association will review its guidelines.

All students taken to the hospital on Saturday, including eight Central players, were treated and released. “Everyone’s doing fine,” Heidenreich said, adding that it wasn’t the only football game in Nassau County on Saturday in which the weather caused illness.

The Eagles had a 6-0 lead at halftime. The game was official because at least two quarters were played. Central finished with a record of 2-6. Valley Stream’s other high school teams were not affected. South played Friday and North played on Sunday.