Welcome to the 2020 season...maybe? Crazy times. Not the most fun of times, either. Teams are canceling or postponing their seasons, schedules are being significantly altered, opening week has been pushed back with the possibility of more delays — the list goes on.
What will this season look like? There is no rulebook for which to follow as a modern day pandemic has forced the world into a new and uncomfortable way of life. There will be a lot of trial and error to determine what works, and there is no right answer — not that we know of as of yet, anyway. Right now, it’s up to the individual school systems to determine how they operate within the GHSA’s football season. They will establish their own protocols for how to handle all aspects of playing sports in this new world, from positive COVID-19 cases, to practices, to social distancing for spectators and beyond.
It is my hope that we within the subculture of high school football can muscle through a season and carry on the tradition of crowning a state champion, which the GHSA has done every year since 1947. There are many arguments for and against playing. As it stands, Sept. 4 is the date marked to open the season. That’s two long weeks from now, but here’s hoping we get there.
There is good news when it comes to Class 2A. Of the 53 football-playing schools, 48 are practicing. All teams in Regions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 are in pads. In Region 6, DeKalb County School District members Columbia, McNair and Towers are limited to conditioning only, with the district postponing the fall season of its schools through Sept. 30.
More: About 67 football teams to be shut down for GHSA opener
In Region 3, Macon schools Northwest and Southwest can practice. However, as members of the Bibb County School District, its teams have delayed fall sports until at least October.
Only one 2A school — Riverside Military Academy — has cancelled its football season, and the administration made the decision back in May. That reduced Region 8 from five teams to four, guaranteeing playoff spots for Banks County, Elbert County, Rabun County and Union County. Riverside’s early exit left the other Region 8 teams scrambling to fill out their schedule, and that problem was compounded for Rabun County when South Carolina’s schools canceled their out-of-state games. The Wildcats play in Tiger, which is 10 miles from the South Carolina border, and had scheduled four opponents from that state. They had to replace half their schedule and managed to do so.
With resilience and determination, a season can be played. Let’s hope that happens.
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