Aug. 18--Western Heights High School is canceling all its fall sports on a weekly basis until there’s a coronavirus vaccine or the numbers start declining, athletic director Gary Riley confirmed with The Oklahoman on Tuesday morning.

The district’s school board doesn’t deem it safe to play sports, especially contact ones, unless it can test its athletes as well as its opponents on the weeks of games, Riley said.

Western Heights has canceled its three nondistrict football games and scrimmages and then plans to go on a week-by-week basis come district play (Class 5A-2) as to whether the school can play.

“We’re going week to week until there’s some sort of testing or vaccination,” Riley said. “That’s what our school board said.”

Riley said he has had to cancel every fastpitch softball game thus far, and cross country won’t be competing either.

Western Heights is not dropping athletics, Riley said. These procedures were put in place to protect the students and coaches.

Riley said until there’s a procedure to get Western Heights and its opponents tested on game weeks, the school won’t be playing in athletic events.

Riley has been in contact with a number of people with the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association. The OSSAA is allowing individual districts and schools to decide whether to play nonpostseason games and other athletic events.

Riley said Western Heights teams are still practicing.

The district has become the second in Oklahoma to cancel multiple athletic events. Sequoyah Tahlequah canceled all athletic events through the first nine weeks of school. Konawa also had to cancel its opening football game against Elmore City-Pernell because its school has temporarily closed.