Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
High school teams adjusting to summer practice protocol
“Grab your lids.” That was Little Rock Hall assistant football coach Carl Owens’ message to his players before they went outside of George Cirks Arena to the practice field.
Only, the lids weren’t football helmets — they were masks.
The month of June in high school football in Arkansas typically involves 7-on-7 tournaments and team camps.
Instead, programs across the state are limited in what they can do thanks to the coronavirus pandemic that has affected not only Arkansas, but the rest of the United States and the world.
The Arkansas Department of Health, in conjunction with Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s office, issued guidelines May 21 for Phase One of team and community sports.
Football coaches must wear masks at all times, while players adorn the face coverings when they’re not actively working out. Cleaning supplies, such as hand sanitizers, spray bottles and towels, are evident throughout fieldhouses, gyms, weight rooms and practice fields. Social distancing also is enforced at team workouts.
On June 1, the Arkansas Activities Association allowed for schools to begin workouts in-person for the first time since March 13.
Schools could work out for one hour during the first week of June, then increase their workouts to an hour and a half this past week. Beginning today, schools can work out up to two hours.
For Jim Withrow, a veteran head coach who is in his first year at Little Rock Hall after spending 13 seasons at Sylvan Hills, the guidelines are an adjustment.
“It’s something you have to get used to,” Withrow said. “You have to make sure everybody stays apart. You have to make sure that when it’s time to wear a mask, you have a mask on. You always want to make sure everybody is doing what they’re supposed to.
“You want everybody to be healthy.”
Several coaches throughout the state have expressed how it’s not business as usual for their football programs.
“It’s been different,” Charleston Coach Ricky May said. “When you’re in the weight room, when you’re talking with a mask on, it can be a hindrance.”
Nettleton Coach Steven Hampton’s program has 60 players, and he’s been pleased with the first two weeks.
“Our coaches and kids have done a good job of adjusting,” Hampton said. “We’ve been figuring out the process.
“We want to do our part. We don’t want to have any setbacks.”
Little Rock Hall players have arrived at school at 7:45 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays, then begin working out at 8:30 a.m., Withrow said. Athletes, coaches and staff must be screened with a digital thermometer prior to any activity and answer questions if they’ve had a fever of 100.4 degrees or greater in the past two days, had a cough, difficulty breathing, a sore throat or a loss of taste or smell, or have had contact with a person known to be infected with covid-19 within the previous 19 days.
As of Thursday, Withrow said Hall had 40 players out for football this summer. The numbers when it comes to the current guidelines have helped in a small way.
“It’s not as big of a trouble,” Withrow said. “I can’t imagine teams that have 75-80 guys. That’s got to be really tough.”
Withrow credited the leadership of Little Rock School District Athletic Director John Daniels and athletic department manager Erikk Jackson for their swift response in getting masks and thermometers for the four LRSD high schools — Hall, Central, Parkview and the new Southwest High School.
“When you’re a one-horse town like some of these schools, it’s not as big of a deal,” Withrow said. “When you’re talking Little Rock, you’re talking four high schools and all the different sports. It just magnifies by four or five times. John and Erikk have done a great job.”
May said Charleston begins their workouts at 7 a.m. Monday through Thursday. Players are expected to check in at 6:30 a.m. for temperature screening and medical questions.
Charleston, which has 30 players, May said, splits into three groups. Quarterbacks work on their passing drills with wide receivers, who run routes. Linemen go through footwork drills, since teams are not allowed to use blocking pads or sleds currently.
May joked that social distancing isn’t too much of an issue with Charleston.
“It’s a benefit of having a passing offense,” May said. “I know it might be different if we were in the Dead-T.”
May added that his players’ masks are washed by the coaches every day.
Hampton said Nettleton separates their players into four groups of 15 with two coaches assigned per group.
Nettleton’s workouts (on the field and in the weight room) are held Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Hampton said three stations are set up on the Raiders’ game field and are set up in the corners. The stations are for conditioning, plyometrics and position-specific work.
May acknowledges that with the dead period from the middle of March until the end of May, his team, like many throughout the state, are behind and this summer is a crucial one heading into the 2020 season.
“We had a good offseason, then it was three months of nothing,” May said. “Some of the kids did what they needed to and some of them didn’t. You could tell.”
Withrow said being able to be around the Warriors has been great for him.
“I get to know them a little bit,” Withrow said. “Zoom, as well as all the texting and phone calls are all great. But to build a relationship, you have to be there in person.”
The AAA board of directors approved waiving the summer dead period Tuesday at its annual Summer Workshop meeting. Several schools throughout the state have said they’ll still take the originally mandated two weeks off (June 21-July 5).
While May said Charleston will allow players to take time off during the dead period because of previously planned vacations, he’s also giving them an option to work out at the school during the two-week period.
Nettleton will observe a oneweek dead period from June 28July 5, the school announced Tuesday. Withrow said he did not know whether Hall and the LRSD will still observe the dead period.
The Department of Health is expected to reevaluate the measures June 30. Going into Phase Two, which could allow for football teams to possibly have contact with each other such as tackling and blocking drills, is a crucial point for coaches across the state. The first day of fall practice is Aug. 3, and the regular season begins the week of Aug. 24-29.
“Football is a contact sport,” Hampton said. “You have to engage with people.”