Teams in 3 districts finally begin their fall workouts.
Teams in South San ISD, SAISD, Edgewood ISD finally commence fall workouts after monthlong virus delay
Four months after being hired to coach at his alma mater, South San’s Phil Barron got a first look at his football team as it conducted its first practice of the 2020 season.
“I got to interact and run around with them a little bit,” Barron said. “It was a good day.”
It was a long-awaited one, too.
South San ISD, along with San Antonio ISD and Edgewood ISD, began fall workouts Monday after they were delayed about a month because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s still kind of surreal for me to be back home,” said Barron, a 2002 South San graduate who coached Burbank the previous two seasons. “I looked around the stadium, and it was a neat feeling for me. It’s a personal accomplishment that I was able to come back home.”
About 95 athletes who comprise the Bobcats’ varsity and junior varsity teams participated in the workout that began at 7 a.m.
It was Barron’s first onfield look at them. When he was hired in late June, campuses across the state were shut down for in-school learning because of the pandemic. Barron introduced himself remotely. He and his
staff conducted workouts and installed game plans virtually.
South San is a member of District 27-6A, arguably the toughest district in South Texas. It includes Judson, Steele, Clemens, Smithson Valley, New Braunfels and Wagner. Those schools opened workouts Sept. 7 when the UIL allowed Class 6A and 5A schools to start.
SAISD’s seven 5A schools (Brackenridge, Burbank, Edison, Highlands, Jefferson, Lanier and Sam Houston) and two from Edgewood (Kennedy and Memorial) form the nine-team District 13-5A-I.
“I feel excited. I feel relieved. I feel anxious. I feel nervous,” Highlands first-year coach Chris Castillo said Monday afternoon prior to his team’s initial workout. “It’s pretty much everything you can feel. It’s almost like game day. I have a lot of emotions. I’m excited for our kids getting a chance to come out and be involved. After seeing everybody play, it’s a neat deal to get our kids back and on the field.”
The wait was longer for SAISD’s Young Men’s Leadership Academy, a first-year varsity program that competes in 4A. Fall practices for sub-5A schools began Aug. 3. YMLA, which competes in District 14-4A-II, with play a truncated season with two games.
The UIL allowed each school district to determine when students could begin extracurricular activities. All three districts cited the high number of COVID-19 cases in their areas as the
reason for the delay.
Barron quickly met his players one by one as they picked up their equipment last week. Monday marked the first time he saw them in person.
“The remote setting was tough because they don’t get to see the true personality through a (computer) screen,” Barron said.
Because of the three-week, ramp-up period, the Bobcats will
open their season against Smithson Valley on Oct. 30.
The Bobcats are scheduled to play six games in the regular season. Their first scheduled district game Oct. 23 against Judson will be recorded as an 18-0 forfeit loss.
As challenging as the Bobcats’ task is, Barron is pleased to get going.
“Installing what we’re trying
to do offensively and defensively and (on) special teams is a tall task right now because of the time we haven’t had them,” Barron said. “But it was great. The kids were glad to be back, and we were happy to have them.”
Castillo, a former Jay assistant, was hired to lead Highlands in January. He had a chance to coach his players for five weeks before the pandemic hit. He said
that will be helpful as his team pushes forward.
“They got to know me before they saw me as a face on the computer,” Castillo said. “They know the expectations we have now. If we didn’t have that, it would definitely be an uphill battle at this time.”