Changes made for spring football
Unprecedented season running fairly smoothly
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but we’re in uncharted territory in athletics.
The masks, the reduced crowd sizes, the modified rules in any given sport. ... They’re new to everyone.
Add to it that spring football is being played in Massachusetts and one may begin questioning if this is real life or some alternate reality.
As anyone in the Northeast knows, spring is a fluid term, one that has a designated start date but doesn’t always adhere to the rules. Snow in April? Not unheard of.
How would football work when fields could still be frozen or fall victim to freezing precipitation at any time? Turns out the condensed spring season has gone fairly smoothly.
Sure, there are teams with grass fields playing the entire campaign on the road — i.e. Fitchburg High — and schedule changes have largely been forced due to COVID-19 test results — again, Fitchburg has twice had this happen in just three weeks — but largely, things have gone well.
With a plethora of turf fields across Central Mass., teams playing on natural grass haven’t had to worry about trying to keep their fields in pristine shape week after week. Teams playing on natural surfaces have been able to do so with little to no issues so far, sprinkling road games in between home dates as would occur during a “normal” season.
Take St. Bernard’s as an example.
The Bernardians opened on the road against Groton-Dunstable before hosting Clinton at the Bernardian Bowl — a natural grass field. Last week, St. B’s played on Littleton High’s artificial turf and this week, it hosts Tyngsboro. And even after a JV contest on the grass Monday afternoon, the Bernardian Bowl looks no worse for the wear.
So though things have changed on the gridiron, they’re in essence the same. Sunshine turning to sleet before halftime, however, that’s still going to take some getting used to.
Emptying out the notebook elsewhere...
Congratulations are in order for former Fitchburg High softball standout Audrey Johnson, who has continued to shine on the diamond at Fitchburg State. The junior infielder was named MASCAC Player of the Week on Monday after batting .667 (8-12)
with three doubles, two runs and five RBI in four games against Westfield State last week. On the season, Johnson is hitting a .421. ... Leominster’s Diego Fagundez signed with Austin FC in the MLS offseason after 10 years with the New England Revolution and saw action in the club’s preseason game against Houston over the weekend. Fagundez notched 26 minutes on the pitch for Austin in a 3-2 loss. ...