High school sports test
Connecticut teams begin working out, but fall slate remains up in the air
State high schools have begun workouts for fall sports, and while there is optimism after the pandemic cut short seasons in March, questions remain to be answered over the next month.
High schools around the state have the green light to begin workouts for fall sports and while there is optimism after seasons were cut short in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, it remains clear there are still plenty of questions to be answered over the next month.
Last week marked the first time teams could begin practicing, under new restrictions from Connecticut’s high school sports governing body. Workouts are required to be done in small groups of 5-10 players under social distancing restrictions. The groups can’t meet more than three times per week for no longer than 60 minutes each time, with traditional team practices prohibited.
Schools aren’t required to hold the workouts, although some have, and they are being used as a test over the next few weeks. The next phase of reopening practices will be discussed, but Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Director Glenn Lunragini said the reopening of schools remains fluid and could determine the future of fall sports.
“We need to know, what do our superintendents and our boards really think what is it likely going to look like when we get back to school,” Lunagarini said. “Is it going to be a hybrid model? Will we all be in classes? That’s important for us to know to understand how we can play.”
The next milestone date for the CIAC is Aug. 3. The return to play committee — which includes superintendents, principals, athletic directors, coaches, medical professionals and lawmakers — will determine whether or not its safe to proceed further into the next phase. Football’s traditional preseason is slated to begin Aug. 17, with the rest of the sports set to begin on Aug. 27.
“Our goal with our committee is to get information back to our board of control, to determine, with Aug. 3 as a milestone date for us, are we going to move forward with these dates as scheduled?” Lungarini said. “We’re going to coordinate with what’s in the best interest for our schools. A lot of that is going to come from where are we in the state.”
As of Friday, only 77 people in the state were hospitalized due to the virus but parts of the economy remain unopened and plenty of concern remains heading toward fall with spikes of the virus around the country. On the college level, conferences including the Ivy League and
NESCAC have canceled the fall seasons and others are moving to an in-conference only model. In New Jersey, the high school sports season was pushed back to late September or early October.
Where the CIAC and the NCAA differ is that the CIAC isn’t dealing with students coming in from across the country, and there is far less travel involved. Still, some ideas — like a regional play model — may translate from one entity to another.
“What I think from that is an interesting concept that filters down to the state level is regional play,” Lungarini said. “If you have an issue or something comes up, you’re still going to have a strong connection to that local department of health. You can kind of forecast a scenario where there may be certain regions in Connecticut where certain regions have to address things differently than other region . ... Does it make more sense, for the fall, to play regionally? So if there is an impact or something happens, you’re not contributing to moving things across the state.”
Those who have returned to practice said they were excited to see their teams back together, even if there were limitations.
“It was awesome to be back,” Brian Mazzone, head coach of the Stafford/ Somers/East Windsor co-op said. “You don’t realize how much you miss seeing these kids. Everyone was so excited.”
For some coaches, it’s different than what they’re accustomed to doing in the summer. But after months inside, football is football.
“We’ve been looking forward to this hard date for a while,” said Tim Shea, Plainville’s head football coach. The Blue Devils practiced three times last week. “Throughout this whole thing so far, as football people, we’re just looking for dates [to start practice]. We understand plans change, obviously. We started on plan A, I think we’re down to plan M or N now.”
Mazzone said he’s had to remind his players to socially distance themselves, even though he understands many of them may be spending time together outside of practice. He even has three sets of brothers on his team, and despite the fact that they live together and arrive in the same car, they need to keep a six-foot distance on the field.
“The second they get there, I say, ‘You two have to be socially distant.’ ” Mazzone said. “I get you may share a room at home, but when you’re here, you have to be apart.”
Shea said that social distancing has come easy on the football field. Yard markers and hash marks allow for players and cohorts to stay in their designated zones. He added that his players have seemed to adapt quickly, and came into the workouts in better shape than he had expected.
Staff and students are required to self examine themselves for COVID-19 symptoms, and be able to confirm having a temperature under 100 degrees. Hand sanitizer should be readily available, and all equipment should be cleaned thoroughly. Players are required to bring their own water bottles, and any food cannot be shared.
The use of locker rooms is prohibited, and athletic gear cannot be shared either.
“If you want to play bad enough like we do, you’re going to figure out how to do it,” Shea said. “So that we can play in the fall.”
Shawn McFarland can be reached at smcfarland@courant.com.