High school football is a staple of the high  school experience. Everyone goes to the games, to cheer on their team and socialize in the stands. For as long as anyone can remember, Friday night games have been the go to activity for students during the fall and if not for COVID-19, the season would be in full swing. In order to keep student athletes healthy the state has decided that football will be postponed until the winter. The season will also be shorter so that schools can plan to get in a season in a shorter amount of time. 

“Nobody from the state has told me the specific reason,” Head Coach Pat Crowley said. “But they have pushed back all sports and the first practice for any sport is November 4th, with hope that our season will be able to start on the 8th of February, we will have at least seven games, with five of them being conference opponents and two non conference games, and playoffs afterwards.” 

The season change has also had an impact on student athletes hoping to continue their careers at the next level. 

“For the kids[seniors] who don’t have it figured out right now, it delays the whole process,” Crowley said. “Colleges have to make decisions without all the information, generally kids in that situation would do better in a regular season with camps and more games.” 

To be able to even have a season, the state has set guidelines for how teams are able to practice and for how long in order to keep players safe and healthy during the pandemic. 

“We are following the rules laid out by the state and the county, taking precautions before, during and after practice by requiring kids to wear masks and social distance at all times,” Crowley said. “Along with requiring players to bring their own water, we are doing all we can.”  

Of course amid a pandemic there is no guarantee that the season will get to happen. Some players have expressed doubts about the future of their season and with all the uncertainty surrounding the season, coaches are doing their best to keep players motivated and focused throughout the offseason. 

“I’m convinced we will have a season so I’m telling them to stay ready, I have faith that we will end up playing,” Crowley said. “Right now there are 40 states playing football and we are one of the ten that are not so I feel very confident we are going to play.” 

For the players, all that they want is to have a season. They do not care in what form it comes in, they just want to play. The question is whether or not that will happen. With COVID-19 still prevalent in America, nothing is for sure right now. The best thing to do for now is mask up, so that these players might have the change to suit up, and play the sport they love.