The game, originally scheduled for tonight, now will take place at 5:30 p.m. Sunday in Dalton. The winner will play for the county championship against unbeaten Hoosac Valley on Nov. 21.
Just 13 of Wahconah's 44 players were healthy enough to practice Thursday, Morrison said. The coach was forced to cancel practice Tuesday for the same reason, and only 22 players were healthy for Wahconah's practice Wednesday.
Much of the Warriors' offensive backfield has been hit with illness, suffering from flu-like symptoms such as high fever and nausea.
Five players have been diagnosed with the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, Morrison said, adding that none of those five is expected to play Sunday for the Warriors, who have an overall record of 8-1 (7-1 in county play) and have won the past two county titles.
"It's not just one or two of our guys. It's the team," Morrison said. "If we [had] played that game [Thursday], we'd be playing with 13 kids. And a lot of them are not varsity. It wouldn't have been pretty. I had more coaches holding bags than kids holding bags. That's when it gets bigger than football."
Morrison, Lee coach Keith Thomson and Hoosac
Thomson said Lee (5-4, 5-3 in county) hasn't been fully healthy, either.
"Maybe not to the same degree [as Wahconah], but I've had nine kids, six of them starters, within the last 10 days who have come down with the flu themselves," Thomson said. "We're all kind of in the same boat here. This is a nasty strain that's really kicking the heck out of kids."
Thomson said he and Morrison had discussed postponing the game until Monday because of health concerns, but decided on Sunday.
"The more we push it back ... there's no guarantee that we get to Monday [without] three other kids having it [the flu]," Thomson said. "At some point, you have to buckle up and go."
Thomson said he's had to alter practices because of inclement weather, but never because of illness.
"It's only because Lee was gracious enough to put it off until Sunday that I can hopefully get a good practice [today] with some kids back," the coach said. "But it's bigger than football. There's nothing you can do about it. "We've [even tried] de-lousing the locker room."
So far, the coaching staff is relatively healthy -- just one Wahconah assistant is sick.
Morrison said there are no plans to forfeit the game.
"We're playing it," he said. "We made the decision today [Thursday] with Coach Thomson. Whatever we've got left in our tank, we're bringing at 5:30 on Sunday."
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