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| Pacific will be waiting until
next week to take the field. Pacific athletics photo by John Lariviere |
A fire deliberately set at the FAA's main ground control center
in the Chicago area has forced the cancellation of Pacific's
scheduled football game Saturday at the University of Chicago.
The Boxers were preparing to board buses to Portland International
Airport when word arrived that the team's scheduled 2:05 p.m.,
flight on Southwest Airlines to Chicago's Midway Airport was
canceled. As it was Southwest's last scheduled flight to Chicago on
Friday, the cancellation eliminated any chance of the team arriving
in time for the game.
The flight cancellations were caused by a ground stop forced on
Midway and Chicago O'Hare International Airport after a fire was
intentionally set in the FAA's regional radar center in Aurora,
Ill., a suburb of Chicago. The facility helps guide planes
throughout the Chicago region on their takeoff and approach to both
airports.
Pacific football is far from the only Portland-based travelers
affected by the ground stop. According to the Port of Portland, at
least 10 flights from Portland to Chicago on Southwest, Alaska
Airlines, United Airlines and American Airlines were scrubbed due
to the ground stop. According to The Chicago Tribune, more
than 1,600 flights were cancelled at the two airports with another
800 delayed.
This isn't the only Division III football game in the Chicago area this weekend. Maranatha Baptist will not be making the trip to River Forest, Ill., to play Concordia-Chicago because of lack of numbers on its small roster. Maranatha started training camp with just 30 players.
As of now, Maranatha is still planning to play Trinity Bible on
Oct. 4 as scheduled.