Kenai Central’s varsity and junior varsity football games scheduled for Saturday have been canceled after a positive COVID-19 test in the program.

The Kardinals varsity had been scheduled to open the season Saturday at Barrow, while the junior varsity had been scheduled to open the season Saturday at Soldotna.

Jesse Settlemyer, the athletic director, said the school learned about the positive test Wednesday morning. After learning about the positive test, the school worked to determine close contacts of the player. After determining close contacts, the school decided to cancel the games out of an abundance of caution, according to Settlemyer.

“We’re always going to act in the best interest of our athletes’ health and safety,” Settlemyer said. “That’s our first and foremost concern.”

Dustin Akana, the Kenai head coach, said the team will take the steps necessary to get back on the field.

“We have a lot of players really looking forward to this season,” Akana said. “All we can do it take the right steps to get back on track to compete this season.”