The St. Thomas football team’s home opener against the University of St. Francis (Ill.), originally scheduled for Sept. 4, has been canceled due to COVID-19 protocols, a news release from Tommie Sports said, marking the first COVID-related schedule change for the St. Thomas athletics department this year.

The Tommies were set to play their first game in the Pioneer Football League following last year’s approval to leave the MIAC in Division III and move directly into Division I competition.

“Our football program deserves great credit for its approach after a very long layoff between games,” athletic director Phil Esten said in the news release. “Our players and coaches have a 100-percent vaccination rate as a team. They continue to do everything they can to prepare and put themselves in a position to have a successful fall season.

An athletics department spokesperson told TommieMedia that the football team “continues its daily preparation for the season as usual.”

A replacement team to play the Tommies at O’Shaughnessy Stadium on Sept. 4 or on a future date is currently being searched for.

Coach Glenn Caruso and his team are scheduled to face the University of Northern Iowa in the Missouri Valley Football Conference on Sept. 18.

St. Thomas ticket holders will receive more information following the postponement.

Olivia Paradise can be reached at para4336@stthomas.edu.