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Isabel disrupts DCIAA
Games canceled, volleyball season delayed
(Published September 22, 2003)

Interscholastic athletics in the D.C. public schools, already crippled by unanticipated budget cuts in July, sustained another blow when schedules were disrupted by the arrival of the Hurricane Isabel-related storm.

Only two of the 10 teams competing in D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association varsity football were able to play their games scheduled during the Sept. 19-20 weekend. Ballou’s game against Riverside Baptist, originally scheduled for Sept. 19, was delayed until Sept. 23.

In the only contest that went forward as originally scheduled, the Dunbar Crimson Tide was able to board its bus for Steubenville, Ohio, several hours earlier than planned — on Wednesday night, instead of Thursday morning — to escape the coming storm.

In the end, Dunbar lost the battle of the "reds" 32-8 to the Steubenville Big Red at Harding Stadium.

Dunbar scored its lone touchdown in the second quarter when a Marcelle Stover fumble jumped into the hands of Arrelious Benn, who ran it 31 yards into the endzone. Senior quarterback Stadford Brown connected with Leroy Jackson for the two-point conversion.

Some schools attempted to re-schedule their weather-canceled football games for Sept. 22, but those efforts went for naught when schools remained closed after the weekend. D.C. Public Schools policies require all student activities to be canceled on days when schools are closed.

Allen Chin, who heads the school system’s Department of Athletics, said the missed games will not be re-scheduled because they are all non-league contests that will not affect determination of the DCIAA champion.

DCIAA league competition for varsity football begins Oct. 10.

He said attempting to play the games beyond Monday of this week would interfere with the upcoming weekend’s games due to DCIAA safety rules that require at least four days off for players between games. (Ballou does not have a game scheduled for Sept. 26-27.) Scheduling required medical personnel to be at weekday games also could be a problem, he noted.

The Common Denominator decided not to name its "DCIAA Varsity Football Player of the Week" for Sept. 19-20 games because only two of the 10 teams played. Selection of a Player of the Week is expected to resume with Sept. 26-27 contests.

Chin said the cancellation of classes Sept. 18-22, with some schools still closed on Sept. 24, also disrupted the planned start of the varsity volleyball season and the boys varsity soccer season. Volleyball competition was scheduled to begin Sept. 18, while the boys varsity soccer season was to start Sept. 22. The girls varsity soccer season is scheduled to begin Oct. 7.

Only Ballou and Spingarn high schools are not scheduled to play varsity football games Sept. 26-27. Spingarn continues to have recruitment problems to field a football team.

Dunbar will travel to Coolidge on Sept. 26, with kickoff at 3:30 p.m.

Cardozo will play at Eastern, with kickoff at 7 p.m. Sept. 26.

Roosevelt and Anacostia will travel out of town for games on Sept. 26. Roosevelt will kick off at 7 p.m. against Glen Mills in Concordville, Pa. Anacostia will kick off at 7:30 p.m. against Delmar High School in Delmar, Del.

On Sept. 27, H.D. Woodson travels to Wilson with kickoff at 11 a.m.