CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – A junior varsity football game was stopped and postponed this week after an overheated West Creek player was rushed to the hospital. With a Heat Advisory through Friday and daily heat indexes predicted at 107, more incidents are possible, and schools have been reviewing safety plans.

West Creek head football coach Rob Gallowitz confirmed the report and told Clarksville Now the student-athlete has fully recovered. Gallowitz credited staff members from both West Creek and Montgomery Central for doing a great job enacting their emergency action plan.

The TSSAA says in their guidelines that each team building their own emergency action plan is critical for the safety of student-athletes.

In the case of West Creek and Montgomery Central Athletics, it showed how being prepared can make all the difference.

Preventing heat-related illnesses

The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System has sent out reminders this week to coaches and teams on the importance of preventing heat-related illnesses, according to district spokesperson Anthony Johnson.

With the temperature and heat index skyrocketing into the 100s this week, sports programs will be limited on what they can accomplish at practice.

According to TSSAA guidelines, “Each school is responsible for obtaining either a Wet Bulb Globe Temperature or Heat Index reading at the site of practices and competitions. Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) takes into account more environmental factors than heat index and should be a school’s first choice when evaluating conditions and planning activities.”

If the WBGT is between 90 and 92, or if the heat index is between 100 and 104, maximum practice time is one hour when outside. All sports must have 20 minutes of rest breaks distributed throughout that hour, and conditioning activities are prohibited under the guidelines.

PREVIOUSLY: Heat wave enters 2nd day, with high up to 96 expected, heat index of 107

Football practices have an extra guideline added in, which says they cannot wear protective equipment during practice that does not involve contact.

Now, if the WBGT were to exceed 92, or if the heat index were to exceed 104, then outdoor practices should not take place until the temperature or heat index drops below the threshold.

Interscholastic competitions such as games, scrimmages or jamborees must be postponed in the absence of an appropriate health care professional under these circumstances, according to the TSSAA. A professional would include a certified athletic trainer, certified nurse practitioner, physician’s assistant, doctor of medicine or an osteopathic physician.

Local sports programs have already thought of other ways to adapt to the heat, such as the Fort Campbell football team. The Falcons have pushed their game against Hopkins County Central an hour back in hopes of avoiding the worst of the heat.

MORE: What’s a heat index? Your guide to summer heat warnings, how to stay safe

Correction: Montgomery Central was misspelled in a previous version of this article.