By Andy Villamarzo
Hernando Sun sports staff writer
GAINESVILLE- Not sure what to make of high school sports starting on time this fall? Don’t fret, as the Florida High School Athletic Association is now trying to figure all of that out heading into the fall months.
The FHSAA held the second of its Fall Sports Task Force Meetings via a Zoom conference call last week. The committee came away with the recommendation to push back the start of practices for high school athletics to no earlier than Monday, August 10, according to FHSAA’s website.
In the report by the FHSAA on the meeting and confirmed by Florida High School Football’s Josh Wilson, a 8-7 vote passed a plan that builds upon a previous plan by the FHSAA. It lays out multiple options for how high school athletics could proceed in different regions with the start date of August 10.
The committee intends to reconvene and visit the topic of start dates when it comes to high school sports in the fall and some suggestions have varied from all around the state of Florida and the country for that matter. Some have recommended switching out baseball to the fall and moving prep football to the spring. Others have made it known to possibly replace tackle football with flag football and others have brought up the possibility of football being canceled this fall altogether for safety purposes.
The cancellation of an entire high school football season for most high schools throughout the state of Florida would be devastating for schools’ athletic budgets as many rely on Friday nights to generate some kind of revenue for other sports. The reason many are pushing so hard for football to take place is likely at least in part due to potential losses that would come with a lost season.
Regardless of the season taking place or not, Florida’s coronavirus numbers have continued to remain at an all-time high in the last couple of weeks. Florida surpassed 10,000 cases for multiple days and hospital ICU rooms are reaching maximum capacity. This is being factored in with the decision making of having a season or not.
An announcement by the state of Florida’s education department also was made recently that schools must be reopened for in-person student instruction this fall, giving parents and their children the opportunity to either be taught virtually or at a brick and mortar school. This no doubt factors into having sports this fall, as schools would need students to be on campus to have a sports season take place in 2020.
This news follows up the bevy of news that continues to come out of Hernando County when it comes to high school sports. Running back Contae
Cason recently made it be known via social media he would not be returning to play at Central High School awhile Rob Kazmier has stepped down as Hernando High’s head football coach and was replaced just over a week later by former Hillsborough High School defensive coordinator Earl Garcia III.
Andy Villamarzo can be reached at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @avillamarzo.
