Sarasota County coaches cautiously excited for fall sports season

Cardinal Mooney High volleyball coach Chad Sutton did not mince words on the return of high school sports.

"When I heard [the news], it was a celebration," Sutton said. 

The Florida High School Athletic Association Board of Directors voted Aug. 14 to keep Aug. 24 as the starting date for fall sports, with the first games coming as early as Sept. 4.

The vote passed 11-5 with an amendment stating that schools have until Sept. 18 to opt out of the State Series (the playoffs) if they believe they cannot start fall sports on time. Those schools can then work with the FHSAA to create a separate, regional schedule that works for them. All coaches will also have to watch a National Federation of State High School Associations safety video on COVID-19 and provide a certificate as proof of having watched it, like they do with videos for cardiac arrest and other safety concerns. 

Later that day, Sarasota County Schools announced it would follow the FHSAA's lead and begin practice on Aug. 24. That means coaches such as Sutton will soon be getting to work. 

"It's not going to be the same as usual, of course," Sutton said. "The season will be condensed and we will be playing less matches. We'll still be following the precautions we have been following over the summer during practice. It's not going to be normal, but it will be something closer to that. We are all anxious to get to that point.

"Today (Aug. 17) was the first day of school here. I saw all the kids wearing masks and I started reflecting on it all. I didn't have to do this in high school. None of us did. These kids have to deal with a pandemic along with all the other things high schoolers have to worry about. It's a little crazy. If we can provide them with something that feels good to do and takes them away from everything for a bit, that's the goal."

Riverview High football coach Josh Smithers took a similar stance, saying he is excited to get back on the field. But Smithers also said there are many unknowns. That includes the schedule. Even though Sarasota County football programs can play starting Sept. 4, other counties' rules are different. Riverview is scheduled to play Braden River High on Sept. 4, but Manatee County is undecided on a start date for football (and volleyball). That uncertainty means coaches have no idea how many games they will be able to schedule or against whom. 

There are other questions, too.

"Will all our kids be allowed in the locker room at the same time?" Smithers said. "Will we be able to have small groups of kids in the same room for a film session? If we do play [Sept. 4], we'll be going from no-contact practices straight into a game week for the first time. That might be nerve-wracking."

The FHSAA Board of Directors chose from two restart plans that were seriously considered.  The other would have pushed back the start of fall sports to November and would have moved golf to the spring.

Still, the option chosen goes against the recommendations of the FHSAA's Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, which unanimously rejected Option 1 and held that sports could resume in November only if data showed it was safe to do so then.

For football specifically, according to the plan, the regular season will run through Nov. 6. There will be no district champions crowned in 2020. Instead, every team that wants to be eligible for the State Series will receive a playoff spot, with seeding determined through a blind draw. Teams that withdraw from the State Series can play regular season contests through Dec. 19. No team may play more than 10 regular season games. 

For volleyball specifically, teams that withdraw from the State Series can play regular season contests through Nov. 14. No school can play more than 25 regular season matches whether in the State Series or not.