Reports of the H1N1 (swine) flu virus in Wiscasset forced postponement of Wednesday’s Western Class C boys’ soccer quarterfinal between Mt. Abram and Wiscasset.

The game will be played Thursday at 3:30 p.m. at Wiscasset High School. Officials from both schools and the Maine Principals’ Association agreed to postpone the game to give Mt. Abram sufficient time to inform parents of its players and to take necessary precautions.

According to the Lincoln County News, the Sheepscot Valley Regional School Unit (RSU) 12 had 10 confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus as of Wednesday, including three at Wiscasset High School. Several extracurricular activities involving the high school have been cancelled.

Mt. Abram coach Mark Lopez said Mt. Abram was not made aware of the situation until late Tuesday afternoon. 

“Once our school board was made aware of it, their reaction was that we need to notify the parents of the soccer kids that we could be sending their children into a school district where they could be exposed to the H1N1,” Lopez said. “We worked with Wiscasset. We wanted to play (Wednesday). Wiscasset wanted to play (Wednesday), but by the time a decision was made, we felt that our parents did not have enough time to make a more informed decision. Time became an issue.”

The Roadrunners held a practice on Wednesday. Lopez said he telephoned all of the soccer parents prior to practice and sent all players home with notification of what precautions would be taken by the team and information on the H1N1 virus.

“We’re going to bring down our own water,” he said. “We’re going to have hand sanitizers. I don’t believe we’re going to be doing any shaking hands with the captains (before the game) or after the game (as a team). We’re going to take all of the precautions we can.”

Lopez said despite the precautions, he wouldn’t be surprised if some parents held out their sons from playing Thursday. 

“We do have a player or two with other medical issues that they need to consider,” he said. “It’s only fair to inform parents what their children might be facing.”

Lopez said plans for a fan bus to travel to the game have been scrapped, and fans are being discouraged from attending the game to prevent the potential spread of the virus. He said the team will carry a couple of cases of bottled water to the game so players don’t have to share.

He said he is comfortable with the precautions being taken by his team and that Wiscasset will make the environment as safe as possible for players.

“Obviously, we don’t blame the Wiscasset school district,” he said. “They’re working within the system, and my understanding is they’ve done everything possible to deal with this. I feel bad for Wiscasset and I feel bad for our kids. The MPA worked hard and both schools worked hard, and I think this is a good resolution.”

“Hopefully, it doesn’t affect the outcome of the game and, hopefully, whichever team that triumphs will be healthy enough to go on to the next round,” he added.

The winner of Thursday’s game will meet top-seeded St. Dom’s on either Friday or Saturday.