BAKERSFIELD, CA - A viral outbreak at a Las Vegas football championship may have affected more Bakersfield kids and parents than originally anticipated. According to teams across the city, at least 67 parents, coaches, and players had stomach flu symptoms.
According to coaches, by our count at least six of the nine Bakersfield teams at the championship were hit with a norovirus.
It's a tournament Sean Lozano takes his team to almost every year.
"It's an all-star tournament," said Lozano, Sophomore division head coach for Freedom Far West. "It basically allows for you to play teams that you wouldn't normally on a national level."
Lozano's team consists of 10-year-olds and 11-year-olds.
"We had just beaten a team our of El Paso, Texas," said Lozano. "Kids were fine. They weren't symptomatic. Late Thursday night, we started seeing kids vomiting."
Nearly all of his players on his team, 17 of the 19, were infected. They were one of six Bakersfield youth football teams to get the virus at the tournament.
According to Darryl Dawkins of the Spartans, they sent three teams to the tournament. Dawkins said one coach and two players got sick from their JV team.
According to Kraig Gradowitz of the Southwest Mojo, their JV team had eight to ten infected. Their sophomore team had 14 to 16 ill and the freshmen had six to seven sick.
According to Loren Hall of the Wolverine's sophomore team, 11 of his 23 players got sick.
"It was scary knowing that you don't know exactly what was going on," said Hall.
Coach Hall's Wolverines experienced something similar.
"I get a call from one of my parents and she says my kid is sick," said Hall. "It looks like food poisoning."
With uncontrollable vomiting and diarrhea, the Las Vegas area health district would later determine the illness was a highly contagious norovirus, leaving Bakersfield kids sick in hotel rooms with piles of contaminated trash out their front doors.
"It was a very short virus. Some of the kids that were affected were over it in 12 hours," said Lozano.
Saturday morning both teams decided to play through the sickness.
"I think a couple times were were playing with ten players. Normally you play with eleven," said Hall. "We were like where is he at? He's throwing up coach. He's throwing up."
"We wiped players on the field off the field," said Angelica Salinas, a Wolverine Team Mom.
The Wolverines ended up with 2nd place.
According to Lozano, Freedom Far West called the game in the first quarter so the players wouldn't get injured.
"It was disheartening to call the game. A lot of tears, but I think they understood and I think most of them are waiting for next year," said Lozano.
"I am extremely proud of the kids. They were brave and so strong," said Salinas.
Coaches say no Bakersfield kids were hospitalized, and the kids who returned home should no longer be contagious.
