By Chris Miller

Stanly News & Press

NEW LONDON — Stanly County Schools canceled the North Stanly High School football game against Carson High on Friday because of safety concerns.

The school system “has been notified of additional information that could compromise safety measures our schools have in place for sporting events,” according to a statement on the system’s website.

The statement continued: “We understand this may cause an inconvenience for many, and we apologize. Please know our number one concern is the safety of our students, athletes, staff, and community supporters.”

Stanly County Sheriff Jeff Crisco said the decision was made by Superintendent Jeff James and the school board.

Crisco said he was at the school earlier Friday for a possible low-level lockdown but that it was ultimately a “misunderstanding.”

The rally to support North Stanly’s cheerleaders was on schedule, according to a video posted on the rally’s Facebook page.

The cheerleaders were put on probation by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association after several members posed with a Trump 2020 banner for a picture before a recent football game.

Organizer Jeremy Onitreb, who posted the video, said he was “flabbergasted” that the game was canceled but said nobody will silence the people coming to attend the rally. He also promised to hold more rallies in the future.

“We’ll do the next game, and the next game after that if they cancel it,” Onitreb said, adding that they would hold rallies for the rest of the football season.

“Until our voices are heard, we won’t be shut down,” he said.

Crisco said security measures were planned for the Friday night rally.