Will there be high school football this fall?

[barrel]

Just now, Voice of Reason said:

I know we are focused on football in this thread, but I will point out multiple other sports will be impacted by tomorrow's decision. What happens to soccer and cross country if they back the start up to October? I think they should stick to the current 9/11 start up plan.

I wouldn’t be surprised if they pushed back football but let other sports start earlier. 

[Corbin00]

10 minutes ago, barrel said:

If it’s a 6 week season then why does it show week 1- week 7 in options 2 and 3? 

You are correct. So looks like they are planning 7 game season still with a delay.

[Tigerpride94]

35 minutes ago, Corbin00 said:

Think we are going to see the delay again...

I think with them floating this, it’s going to be option 2 or 3. Hope it’s 3 because because no reason cross country can’t start now.

[theguru]

If the KHSAA decides to push football back into October I feel pretty confident something else will happen/come up and football will not be played this year.  In other words, I think another delay ultimately means no Kentucky High School Football in 2020.

[Corbin00]

5 minutes ago, Tigerpride94 said:

I think with them floating this, it’s going to be option 2 or 3. Hope it’s 3 because because no reason cross country can’t start now.

Agree, since it lines up with current "recommendations" for schools.

[Corbin00]

Just now, theguru said:

If the KHSAA decides to push football back into October I feel pretty confident something else will happen/come up and football will not be played this year.  In other words, I think another delay ultimately means no Kentucky High School Football in 2020.

Unfortunately, agree 100% with this as well. 

[Voice of Reason]

17 minutes ago, theguru said:

If the KHSAA decides to push football back into October I feel pretty confident something else will happen/come up and football will not be played this year.  In other words, I think another delay ultimately means no Kentucky High School Football in 2020.

I am with you on this. Things are not going to be any better Oct. 1 than they are Sept. 11. If they can't start Sept. 11, I am guessing no football this fall.

[theguru]

3 minutes ago, Voice of Reason said:

I am with you on this. Things are not going to be any better Oct. 1 than they are Sept. 11. If they can't start Sept. 11, I am guessing no football this fall.

I agree.

There is no reason for the KHSAA to meet again to say we are sticking with the same plan.  They could do that but it doesn't make sense.

Either way, I think another delay is a "death sentence" for high school football in Kentucky this year. 

[WKY_Football]

I am fairly confident with the recent news that fall sports will be green lighted to start as scheduled, with the caveat that each district will make their own decisions (as reported today.) 

This meeting was already scheduled as a regular BOC meeting & was always going to happen. I think we play. 

[Corbin00]

15 minutes ago, WKY_Football said:

I am fairly confident with the recent news that fall sports will be green lighted to start as scheduled, with the caveat that each district will make their own decisions (as reported today.) 

This meeting was already scheduled as a regular BOC meeting & was always going to happen. I think we play. 

Appears it's just a letter "advocating" for the decision to play sports to be left up to individual school districts.

[John Anthony]

Hearing Ohio might only allow 60 kids to dress.  Not sure if that’s a big deal.  I did get an email that parents of players, cheerleaders and band will get seats.  Everyone else, not sure.

[NKYRaider]

1 hour ago, theguru said:

If the KHSAA decides to push football back into October I feel pretty confident something else will happen/come up and football will not be played this year.  In other words, I think another delay ultimately means no Kentucky High School Football in 2020.

Exactly why I’ve been advocating pushing back to Spring. Another delay or an outbreak (which is likely) in the Fall = no football.

[theguru]

I saw this letter from a Corbin family making the rounds and thought it was well worth sharing.  In short, various forms of this is what I hear from multiple people.  

Dear KHSAA,

Good afternoon to each member and well wishes for the day. I am writing on behalf of myself, my husband, and our freshman son. As parents of an very active current multi-sport athlete and former KHSAA athlete, we are very appreciative of the steps taken by the board and the dedication shown to our children as well as all the student athletes in Kentucky. We are also asking and pleading for the student athletes to get to play as scheduled without further delays. We understand the risk involved with COVID-19; however, we are very concerned with the mental impact this has had on our teenager as well as the rest of Kentucky’s student athletes and asking to please honor their commitment to play as planned.

Our son is a freshman player at Corbin High School who has dreamed of stepping onto the same football field wearing the same number his father and brother wore before him. He has went to high school football games since he was an infant, took some of his first steps at the football field, and grew up under the lights on Friday nights. When he was old enough to play flag football, he played with the heart of all the high school players he watched. As he transitioned into middle school, he was even more proud of put on the pads every game day. He has counted the days till he was a part of those true Friday Night Lights on Campbell Field. His goals have been set for so many years and he has put in work day and night to earn the playing time he has longed for. Having played in the Kentucky Middle School Football State Championship this past year, his goals only intensified to get to the high school level of football. He is the one of MANY who have had this dream across the state of Kentucky.

As a three sport athlete, our son has played or practiced nearly every day for the past 10 years of his life…until mid-March when the world stopped and we watched our son fall into a deep depression. As fear and anxiety grew over what the pandemic was bringing, our son held on to getting to play sports. Baseball was officially cancelled. Basketball camps cancelled. Football camps cancelled. We watched our son’s dreams slowly fade as his depression grew. As a healthcare worker and mother, my worry grew from contact with the virus to what mental state my child and other student athletes had fallen in. I had to reach out to a Behavioral Health provider to request help with the treatment of depression. My college student stepped up and used what he had learned in psychology and pre-med classes to help his little brother cope with sudden loss of sports. He told us over and over that he could not imagine the reality of having not getting to finish his 8th grade year with baseball as our younger son had ripped away and the fear of not knowing if he would get to play football as a freshman as he too had always dreamed of.

Answered prayers came with his travel baseball team. We literally watched our son do a complete change of emotions when he learned he could at least get to play travel baseball. His entire mood, attitude and emotions changed. We witness our son happy again and his faith restored that he would have his chance at playing football this fall. We truly realized after seeing him step on the baseball field again, the positive impact of playing sports has with children.

The Corbin Redhounds High School football team, like many other schools in Kentucky, has done every requirement asked of them by the "powers that be" (my words here). With 84 players, 13 coaches, one manager, one athletic trainer and one custodian, all working and diligently following safety protocols, there are currently ZERO cases of Covid-19. Fear has slowly turned into hope as each day grows for the players. They have gave their heart in each practice with expectation of getting to play on Friday nights.

When it was announced a week ago that "there was a recommendation" (my words here) sports be pushed back, cancelled or moved to Spring the fear returned to our student athletes; however, instead of letting fear control the outcome of their playing time, they have pushed forward continuing to work hard at each practice and praying their determination will pay off at tomorrow’s meetings. Never before have I witnessed athletes be more concerned with KHSAA meetings as I have with tomorrow’s meeting. You have their attention. You are holding the key to their future.

As a healthcare worker of 18 years and wife of a 18 year veteran firefighter, we as a family have seen countless number of risks associated with our jobs. We have seen the worst of many situations; however, COVID-19 is nowhere compared to those risk. We as parents have full understanding of the risk of COVID-19; however, we are also aware of the statistics in Kentucky for this virus. Currently, we are just over 5% for the positivity rate in our state. What is not being discussed is the other 95% of our state. When we factor in the increased depression, anxiety and other mental health cases, those fall into the other 95% of Kentuckians, including the KHSAA student athletes. The other 95% of Kentuckians’ mental health is being ignored and forgotten. Our athletes mental health is being ignored. Increased suicide and drug cases with children are being ignored. Our children are begging to go back to school and holding on to every shred of hope of being able to play football this fall. When we watch our children and student athletes suffer, we as parents feel helpless and join the increasing cases of depression and anxiety. Please take into consideration the other 95% of Kentucky and let them play. Please let them have the chance. Please let all their hard work and dedication of safety for themselves and teammates be ripped away. Moving fall sports to spring is only going to increase these rates due to false hope. Every precaution has been made by these athletes and coaches to play this fall, many will give up and say it didn’t work when they tried the first time and multi-sport athletes like my son will be forced to choose between two sports he loves, baseball or football.

Our family is very confident in KHSAA will make the decision to choose the planned return to play plan and set the highest safety standards for our athletes, who are facing more challenges than COVID. Please let the parents and players make their own decisions to take the risk. We respect those who feel it is not safe for their child, but praying you will make it possible for those of us who do and stand behind these athletes who have been committed these past few weeks and be the hope they need.

Sincerely,
The Neal Family
Mike, Charley, Tyler and Mikey Neal

[16thBBall Fan]

3 hours ago, John Anthony said:

Hearing Ohio might only allow 60 kids to dress.  Not sure if that’s a big deal.  I did get an email that parents of players, cheerleaders and band will get seats.  Everyone else, not sure.

That's all the KHSAA is going to allow to dress for football here. They set that number at the last meeting.

[LongTimeReader]

5 hours ago, Tigerpride94 said:

I think with them floating this, it’s going to be option 2 or 3. Hope it’s 3 because because no reason cross country can’t start now.

The question that Board members would have to ask themselves is will a month make that much of the difference?