Ryan Callahan

Alcoa High School athletic director Josh Stephens confirmed Thursday afternoon that the Tornadoes football team’s District 4-AA opener at Loudon will be played as scheduled at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Alcoa City Schools canceled classes for the final three days of the week because of widespread illness among students, but Stephens said not playing a district football game — or even postponing it — was not an option.

One of Alcoa’s non-district girls soccer games was called off earlier this week, Stephens said, but the football team has not been affected by the illnesses.