Coaches addressing the COVID-19 issues

Say they are doing everything they can to keep players healthy for upcoming season

Sixteen high school coaches with three players each sat at the head table inside Flomaton High School's media center Monday in 15 minute increments and talked a lot of X's and O's, personnel, returning starters and ambitions for the upcoming football season.

Multiple media outlets, including television stations were on hand to hear what coaches and players had to say about the 2021 season.

The teams represented included Clarke County, Excel, J.F. Shields, Monroe County, J.U. Blacksher, Flomaton, Escambia County, W.S. Neal, Jackson, Leroy, T.R. Miller, Thomasville, Fruitdale, Washington County, Millry and Hillcrest.

All coaches were asked about the navigation they took in 2020 during the COVID-19 epidemic with players lost and games cancelled. All said they were ready for a 'normal' 2021 season with fans packed in the stands and games being settled with players on the field.

But all coaches acknowledged that precautions will be needed this year with the recent surge in new COVID-19 cases across the world and in Alabama.

They also acknowledged that plans may change and they need to be prepared for the change.

Flomaton head coach Doug Vickery said his players and staff will follow similar protocols they followed in 2020 to keep players healthy.

"We'll still do cups with managers wearing gloves filling cups," Vickery said of water breaks. "We'll check temperatures and continue our Germex plan.

Vickery added later that his players know the importance of staying safe. Some were on the team that was forced to forfeit games last year due to COVID. He said the goal is to stay safe.

Scott Mason of Escambia County High School said people don't know the problems his team went through last year, noting at one time there were only 80 students in the high school and he finished the season with 29 players.

"We're ready to play football," Mason said. "But we'll keep mopping and cleaning and keeping the players isolated as much as possible."

"Our lockerroom was COVID free," Mason said of last year's team that lost players throughout the year from either COVID or contract tracing.

"My job is to make sure kids are safe," he said.

He said he hopes his players learned something from last year and will be careful and pay attention, again saying safety of the kids is the top priority.

He called last year a perfect storm and train wreck due to COVID and other factors, noting his staff got down to two coaches and lost players.

Mason said teams also have to have some luck on their side to navigate through a season that may include COVID.

"We haven't been hit by that bug yet," he said.

He added that he's told kids not to come to practice if they are sick or running a fever and they will take the best steps they can to keep the players healthy.

T.R. Miller head coach Brent Hubbert said COVID basically shut down the weight room during the winter last year. He added that he also dropped off weight equipment to players' houses due to COVID and said he's looking to his senior leadership to make sure players do what they are supposed to do to stay healthy.

Hubbert said his team will use the same protocol it used last year saying at this point they are proceeding as a normal year and will make adjustments as they come along.