MCMINNVILLE, Ore. -- After grabbing headlines before the season even began due to players' injuries during a pre-season camp, the schedule has been set for McMinnville's healing football team.
McMinnville will take on Barlow High at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 3. The game will be played in Gresham.
Meantime, state investigators concluded heat, exercise and lack of water may have caused the injuries that sent several McMinnville High football players to the hospital last week.
Dozens of players started to suffer severe swelling and pain during an in-school retreat at the school last week that included workouts several times a day.
A state investigation said blood tests concluded that there was no evidence of performance-enhancing drugs. In all, 22 players suffered some sort of muscle pain, including compartment syndrome, which impedes blood flow and requires surgery.
Three were hospitalized and eventually all released last week.
Investigators said the intense, short-duration, repetitive burst of exercises Sunday, Aug. 15, along with bodily stress from heat and unrecognized dehydration were likely the causes.
"There is not one factor that we can pinpoint as the cause. Rather, it appears that multiple factors including the type of exercise, the hot day and not enough water for some of the players contributed to their illnesses. Our goal is to prevent similar injuries in our state's young athletes," Oregon state epidemiologist Dr. Katrina Hedberg said.
Water was available but most players did not drink any, Hedberg said. There was no evidence anything in the gym, facilities or environment contributed to the injuries.
The team returned to practice last week.
