Schools are either outright canceling or delaying the remainder of the 2019-20 school year with no timetable to bring kids back. With no clear path, currently, for any universal testing or vaccines for COVID-19, can we really expect to see high school football start on time for the 2020 season?
I can remember the past, but thinking about the playing under the Friday Night Lights in August is difficult to comprehend under the world’s current conditions.
The 2017 Class 5A championship game between Highland Park and Houston Manvel was one of the greatest sporting events I’ve attended in my lifetime.
I was standing in the corner of the Manvel end zone when Kason Martin completed a deep ball to Preston Stone, who was stopped at the 1-yard line by Highland Park as time expired.
Seeing the greatest sense of victory on one side, while the other was experiencing agonizing defeat was a testament to why Texas high school football is the greatest sport.
But as we are now going through unprecedented times as a country, could we be without the sport for the 2020 season.
As the nation goes through a state of disaster and uncertainty, everything is on hold with no time table for a return to normalcy available. Schools have been shut down since March, while spring and winter sports have been put on hold for the time being.
For most schools, the spring period between March and summer break is prime time for workout programs and chemistry building for their teams. Without that being available as well as spring football being canceled, coaches will miss out on crucial time to help improve players as well as see what their rosters could look like In the upcoming season.
There is also a high chance that schools won’t be able to host summer workouts this year or even be able to play 7-on-7. Both of which are offseason keys to teams success in the Fall.
With these being skipped, will the product of play suffer? Especially for teams who are less experienced than others.
We have heard professional sports thinking of the idea of playing games in secluded arenas with no fans.
Imagine a Texas high school football game with no bands playing fight songs after touchdowns or fans rising in unison cheering on a big fourth-down attempt. It sounds like a regular Tuesday practice.
Will parents want to let their kids play football games unsupervised? What about the band, which works long hours to be able to march every halftime show? They have dreams of performing on Friday nights just like the players. Playing a season without their sound filling the stadium would take a lot to get use too.
Another thing to consider is how postponement will affect other high school sports. Many football players are two-sport athletes and if the start date is pushed back a month of two, they will have less time to prepare for or even miss part of their second sporting season. Arrangements would have to be made to avoid stadium conflicts with sports such as soccer and track.
A major factor impacted by the postponement or playing of the 2020 season is its affect on recruiting.
Athletes entering their senior season may have their last chance at getting a scholarship to continue playing at the next level. Others look to improve national rankings with each passing game.
If the season is missed, there will be no film, making recruiting as tough as it has ever been, which will then feed the problem into college football for years to come.
Ultimately, only time will tell.
We as a country have no answer for what lies ahead in the coming months or even weeks for that matter. When we do get to see football again, in any form, it will surely once again take its thrown as the king of sports, especially in Texas.
