Springstead coach Bill Vonada started Thursday thinking about Citrus.
But by the end of the school day, his focus was fixed on Central.
With Citrus County still recovering from Hurricane Frances and Hurricane Ivan on a projected path toward west central Florida, the school district canceled school and activities for the remainder of the week, including the Springstead at Citrus and Central at Lecanto games scheduled for Saturday.
Vonada received word of the cancelation from Springstead athletic director Bob Levija around 2 p.m. Citrus AD Vicki Overman had called Levija, citing a directive from superintendent, David Hickey.
"You've got to understand that they're dealing with some things that are probably a bit more important than a football game," Vonada said. "Hopefully, (the Eagles) also will understand that we have to move on and prepare for the next game, and I think our kids will adapt. They're pretty good about that."
Both games were non-district, meaning they have no direct effect on playoff races. That, plus the fact district play gets underway next week, leads coaches to believe the games may not be made up.
"The guys are disappointed," Central coach John Wilkinson said. "You prepare all summer for this and prepare all fall. You want to play a game. I've never seen anything like this before."
Wilkinson and Vonada turn their attention to each other's teams. Springstead is scheduled to play at Central on Sept. 17.
Weather permitting, of course. "Who knows? (Hurricanes) have a mind of their own, I guess," Vonada said. "Probably a lot like tackling Barry Sanders."
- Times staff writers John Schwarb and Emily Nipps contributed to this report.
