KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A star football player for Olathe North High School is transferring to an Iowa high school due to uncertainties caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The mother of senior Arland Bruce IV confirmed to 41 Action News Sports Director Mick Shaffer on Friday that her son will transfer to Ankeny High School in Iowa this fall.
Earlier this week, Olathe Public Schools announced that when students start the school year on Sept. 8, middle and high school students will remain at home. Elementary students will be allowed to return to in-person learning two days per week as part of a hybrid approach.
The district said athletics would be evaluated on a week-by-week basis as part of the announcement.
That uncertainty prompted Bruce, who has committed to the University of Iowa, to head north early, a decision made easier since Bruce has family in the area.
Bruce, who won the Thomas A. Simone Award last year as the best high school football player in the Kansas City area, led the Eagles to the Kansas Class 6A state championship game last season.
As a junior last fall, Bruce ran for 2,487 yards and 43 touchdowns.
His father, Arland Bruce III, also was a star football player at Olathe North. He won the 1995 Simone Award and played 12 seasons in the Canadian Football League, winning two Grey Cups during his career.
