Apaches athletic department fighting staph infection

GONZALES — On top of preparing for their first football game of the season, the Gonzales Apaches athletic department was presented with a third opponent to take on these past two weeks.

A few football players have been diagnosed with a staph infection, forcing the coaching staff to implement specific rules to not only wipe out the infection but to also prevent it from happening again in the future.

“We are now requiring our kids, if they wear it, they wash it,” Gonzales Athletic Director Kodi Crane said. “At times their practice jersey they didn’t wash, their practice pants they didn’t wash but once a week, but now we’re requiring that daily.”

The maintenance department has sprayed a mist in the locker room and in the Apache Fieldhouse to fumigate the infection. Crane noted they were going to do that four times this week.

Coaches stayed late Monday night “double washing” clothes. Another method the coaching staff has taken up is reducing the amount of clothes per load, doing anything they can to make sure the infection is taken care of.

“We’re taking every precaution we can to get [the infection] out of there,” Crane said.