Joe Kinsey
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The Big Ten and MAC might’ve postponed/canceled their 2020 football seasons, but high school football is still on across the state, according to the Detroit News. It’s the same story in Ohio where high school teams are scheduled to play a six-game schedule and everyone makes the playoffs. Governor Mike Dewine has yet to approve contact sports between high school teams, but practices across both states continue. MHSAA spokesman Geoff Kimmerly tells the News that the state has yet to have a reported incident through two days of practice.
Lebanon High School (OH) suspended its football operations after a player and coach tested positive for coronavirus. After going through contact tracing, the school said it had to suspend operations due to the number of coaches who could’ve been exposed. The school has plans to resume practice before its first game on August 28. Niles High School (OH) finds itself on a 14-day football operations suspension after a player tested positive.
But both states roll on.
Even with the Michigan high school football season still a go, Detroit Cass Tech coach Thomas Wilcher told the Detroit News things aren’t all rosy with his football program.
“We were down 25 players from a year ago,” said Wilcher. “I didn’t expect that to happen. It has to be because of COVID. We were counting on big things from a few of them, too.”
Wilcher said three-star tackle Charlie Sims, who had offers from Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Iowa State and Mississippi, didn’t come out, nor did running back Karriem Sharrieff who has an offer from Central Michigan.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is expected to rule very soon as to whether the state will allow full-contact sports to move forward with game action. Until a final decision is made, coaches, parents and players have to dissect every tweet like this from Lt. Governor Jon Husted.
What’s the greater risk to people under age 25, canceling in-person learning & extracurriculars (sports) to protect them from COVID or leaving it to chance how they’ll fill this time? You can’t take these things away from young people & expect good(health, academic, life) results
— Jon Husted (@JonHusted) August 10, 2020
Where I live in Florida, a daycare nearbye has at least 20 kiddos running around daily in a playground. Like normal kids. no masks. Just play time.
But when I go into Advance Auto to get gas treatment for my truck, a milenial in an empty store tells me, ‘he Bro can you get a mask on’.
My home town has public schools closed and no sports, while private schools are open (montgomery county, md).
Definitely wild times out there. Here in Ohio, I passed a high school football practice on my way to golf last night and it was a refreshing sight. DeWine has huge balls if he pulls the plug on HS football here. Ohio State was devastating enough, but taking away HS ball from these small towns will not be pretty.