Due to COVID-19, the 2020 Connecticut high school football season was cancelled. Hundreds of players, coaches, and parents gathered in protest at the Connecticut State Capitol last fall after the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference initial announcement.
High risk youth sports that aren’t sanctioned by the CIAC, including football, have been able to hold group training, controlled practices, and scrimmages.
“I was shocked, said eight grader Steven Westrick. “I felt that it was unfairly taken away from me.”
Conferences worked with their athletic directors, coaches, and medical experts to ensure that football players would be able to do low-risk activities.
“The team would have to stay socially distanced, wear our masks, and we weren’t able to wear pads,” Steven also said.
Even though players wouldn’t have the same experience as their normal football season, they would still be able to boost their skills, hand-eye coordination, speed, agility, confidence, endurance, and, most importantly, their physical fitness.
“I was a first-year player with no football experience, ” said seventh grader Austin Perkinsso. This opportunity really helped me get in shape and catch up with everybody ability-wise.”
KO Middle School football players were able to create teams and play two-hand touch, seven-on-seven football which gave the players a little bit more of a competitive spirit.
The Upper School was a little more fortunate and was able to play a scrimmage against another high school, and were allowed to wear helmets, but the same rules applied. No blocking, no tackling, and no pads.
Plans to start private leagues for middle school and high school players during the summer are looking possible. This could provide high school juniors and seniors another opportunity to be recruited by universities.
