Half of NJ high school football team gets stomach virus

WALL TOWNSHIP — It started out with a week-one dominating performance Friday night for the Wall High School football team over Lakewood -- but ended with half of the players coming down with a sickness over the weekend.

The Wall High School athletic area had to be sanitized and tests performed over the weekend after several members of the team came down with a stomach virus and experienced intense nausea vomiting and diarrhea.

School officials sent a letter home to the parents of Wall High School students letting them know about the athletes who were battling the virus.

"I only know of one varsity football player that is sick today. Most of the players who had it (the stomach virus) came down with symptoms over the weekend and were back in school on Monday," Wall Township Public Schools Athletic Director Tom Ridoux told New Jersey 101.5 sister station WOBM Wednesday.

The stomach bug looks to have plagued several members of other teams as well, but it wasn't a case of any mold or bacteria being found in the drinking fountains or locker-room area, officials said.

After all the cleaning and tests were done over the weekend, Wall Township Schools Superintendent Cheryl Dyer said it was "just a virus".

Ridoux said administrators don't know the exact strain of the virus.

It's unclear how much practice the players who experienced the stomach bug missed or if it will affect their playing status for this Friday night's game at Jackson Memorial.

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