Northwest Ohio high school football games under the Friday night lights on crisp, cool fall nights are a tradition that has stood the test of time.
Fears of the spread of coronavirus, however, have put the time-honored tradition in serious jeopardy. Could shifting football to the spring save the high school football season?
We've already seen the Ivy League shift all of its fall sports to the spring season as the first domino in college athletics. What is next for Ohio high school sports?
According to online reports, a proposal has surfaced to move football from the fall to the spring, along with other changes to the Ohio high school sports schedule.
The anonymous group of coaches making the proposal has reportedly suggested a fall season of baseball, field hockey, golf, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. The winter sports would stay the same, while football, cross country, lacrosse, and soccer would be played in the spring.
First-year Start football coach Godfrey Lewis believes a shift to spring, if necessary, would be a positive way to keep the high-school athletic experience alive for seniors.
"The opportunity to play football is the greatest gift for any senior particularly having a season without it being taken away," Lewis said. "An opportunity to play football only comes for a high school athlete four opportunities in a row, and once that is over with those are the memories gained from the experiences made. If it were played in the spring, it would be something we'd have to get used to, but at the same time, everything in this whole experience of the pandemic is about getting used to it. Change is uncomfortable, but I also believe that if we are passionate and safe at the same time, that would be something that would be a benefit for the kids getting the chance to play one last time."
Northview football coach Doug Downing said he and his staff are doing everything they can to prepare as if a fall season will happen and it’s their job to make sure their student-athletes are prepared for opening night, whenever that may be.
“As a head coach it’s your job and your responsibility to get your kids ready to go and not even discuss that,” Downing said. “If you don’t focus on those things and focus on the positive side of things, that’s what you have to do to get your team ready to go. If you say, ‘Hey, we are starting here in 19 days or whatever it is,’ we have to be cranked up and make sure we are ready. The bottom line is you have to constantly talk to your kids about being ready, because that’s the closest hurdle you have. I don’t spend a whole lot of time talking about possibilities. I talk about how right now it’s go time.”
Not all football coaches are keen on making the potential move to the spring. Archbold coach David Dominique said he doesn't believe there should be a rush to move football to the spring and believes there is still time to save a fall season.
"I'll be the first to say that I'm not totally in favor of it, especially at a small school," Dominique said. "Logistically it is very tough. I understand there are a lot of unknowns right now. For me, the biggest thing would be guaranteeing that we get to play. But as of now, we have to be really flexible because we are not sure what's going to happen. I prefer to play in the fall and I think the spring should be a last resort. Now I think we're at a point where we still have time to make our minds up. Everyone wants an answer, but I still think we can make it happen this fall."
The Ohio High School Football Coaches Association issued a statement Sunday that, for the moment, backs playing the 2020 season as scheduled, beginning in August.
“The OHSFCA makes proposals to the OHSAA regarding football,” the coaches association statement read. “The OHSAA has been adamant about the starting date of August 1st. We have been guaranteed a ‘seat at the table’ if/when decisions need to be made about adjusting the football season.
“While we wait for further information from the governor’s office, we are in agreement with the OHSAA for the starting date of August 1st. The OHSFCA will continue to be proactive as we gather information regarding other possible changes during these unprecedented times.”
Under the current proposal on the table, volleyball would be kept in the fall season, but if the OHSAA were to decide on a straight swap of fall and spring sports, St. Ursula volleyball coach Sydney Yaggi would be in favor of the change.
"I've heard a lot of different options in order to keep the student-athletes as safe as possible," Yaggi said. "Whatever they decide is in the best interest of the student-athletes, if that means we have a spring season and that's the safest scenario I am completely fine with that. If they think the spring is the safest time, we are definitely on board."
There is still a great deal of uncertainty about the virus and when it will be contained, leaving questions for all high school sports, no matter how you adjust the calendar.
“The constant unknown of what the virus is going to do and how it’s going to go and when there will be a vaccine and all those things, that’s what you don’t know,” Downing said. “You can push it back with the hopes of doing it, but in the spring you may not be playing, either.”
Lewis is hopeful that everyone can work together and make a high school football season happen — whether that is in the fall or the spring.
"At the end of the day, this whole pandemic has taught us a lesson about being grateful for the opportunity that you have," Lewis said. "The decisions you make affect other people and you have to really work together. We're going to get through this. The kids that I've been working with at Start High School have been really resilient. They've been pushing through it and not focusing on the negatives. You can't take anything for granted."
First Published July 12, 2020, 10:08 p.m.
