ELYRIA — Whatever sickened more than half of the Elyria High School football team two weeks ago will remain unknown, according to the city Heath Department.

Sept. 15′s game against Strongsville had to be played two days later after 49 of the team’s 87 players became sick that day, many of them leaving school with vomitting, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. The players and coaches had eaten together the night before at a team spaghetti dinner.

The Health Department continues to call the cause “suspected foodborne illness” and says it has ruled out salmonella and Norwalk virus.

The food could not be tested because there was none left over. A bag of salad submitted to the laboratory was not tested because illnesses associated with lettuce did not match the pattern of the outbreak, the Health Department said.

The Health Department said in a news release that it plans to hold food safety education seminars with parent and support groups of the athletic programs on a routine basis.

Read Saturday’s Chronicle for more on this story.