Takeaways from Week 1 of 2020 HS football
With Week 1 in the books, high school football is officially back Shelby County. Here are five takeaways from the first night of local high school football since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
DII-AAA prevails over Class 6A The two biggest games in the area resulted in private school wins over suburban public schools. Christian Brothers beat last year’s Class 6A semifinalist Houston 24-14 on the road thanks to a 260-yard, three-touchdown performance from Dallan Hayden. Briarcrest topped Collierville 21-7. Saints quarterback Michael Dallas threw for 231 yards on 14-of-28 passing and added another 130 yards on the ground.
Collierville, Covington ban the media
Media members were not allowed at games at Collierville and Covington. Collierville allowed around 650 people to attend the game against Briarcrest but said that it wanted to test its COVID-19 protocols before media were allowed. WREG reporter Peter Fleischer tweeted that Collierville called the police on him and a photographer while they were standing outside the stadium. A school spokesperson said that the ban is intended to be temporary and could be relaxed upon further review. Covington’s decision to ban the media for the game against Munford came hours before kickoff, according to coach JR Kirby.
Masks, temperature checks, capacity limits
At Houston, all fans attending the game against Christian Brothers had their temperature checked and were required to wear a mask. Less than 400 people, including players and coaches, were allowed to attend. Houston and Collierville required fans to purchase etickets prior to the game, which were scanned at the entrances.
Good start for Fayette County
Fayette-ware and Fayette Academy opened their seasons with wins. Atlantis Lax scored three touchdowns for the Wildcats in a 36-32 win over Chester County. Fayette Academy picked up a 14-8 win over West Carroll. The wins marked the first for Fayette-ware coach Woodrow Lowe and Fayette Academy’s Michael Hodum since joining their new teams in the offseason.
Arlington, Brighton, Covington score more than 40
Arlington, Brighton and Covington won their games by a combined 135-13. Arlington beat Halls 50-7, Covington dominated rival Munford 41-6 and Brighton shut out Bolivar Central 44-0.