Though COVID-19 case numbers are rising throughout Colorado and multiple counties have adopted stricter public health measures, the fall high school football season appears to be on track to finish — for now.
Adams County moved to the second-highest level of COVID-19 restrictions at 5 p.m. Wednesday, less than a week after it prohibited fans from attending high school football games.
When Gov. Jared Polis granted a variance to the Colorado High School Activities Association in mid-September allowing up to 50 players (excluding coaches/officials/staff) per team on a field at one time — essentially permitting high school football teams to practice and play — officials said the move would be re-evaluated if counties rose to Level 3. Now that Adams County has crossed that threshold, it is unclear whether that re-evaluation has actually occurred.
When contacted by The Denver Post inquiring how Adams County’s new restrictions would affect high school football, a CDPHE spokesperson who declined to be identified wrote in an email that the level change “does not impact the ability for high school football teams to finish their season.” A spokesman for Tri-County Health said they sent questions to the state this week about options for high school football teams in Adams County, including whether or not teams could practice and play in neighboring counties with less restrictive health measures.
CHSAA assistant commissioner Adam Bright said decisions over whether or not teams can continue playing are up to state and local health authorities.
“That’s kind of outside the CHSAA purview,” Bright said. “We’re not making blanket statements that say a certain level equals a certain restriction. That’s going to be county by county, health department by health department.”
For schools like Thornton High School in Adams County, which recently went back to remote learning and saw parents pull their kids out of football as a result, the rise in coronavirus cases is just the latest twist in an already trying fall.
Thornton is scheduled to play Liberty at 1 p.m. Saturday at Garry Berry Stadium in Colorado Springs, but athletic director Patrick Woytek said he still hadn’t received an official update regarding the status of the game as of 5 p.m. Wednesday.
“We’re kind of getting hit by multiple angles and just trying to figure out this whole complex puzzle,” he said. “We’ve got to continue as if nothing is going to get shut down because if we don’t then we’re going to show up for a game and we’re not going to be ready.”
CHSAA originally decided to move football season — along with volleyball, boys soccer, field hockey and gymnastics — to the spring due to virus concerns in early August. A little over a month later, the association gave schools the option of playing a fall season after Gov. Polis approved the association’s variance request..
Nearly 80% of member schools (218) opted into the fall season, which began with games Oct. 8 and is entering the fourth week of a six-week regular season. Denver Public Schools was among the districts that opted to play in the spring. A handful of teams have already been forced to cancel games following outbreaks, but a large majority of the scheduled contests have been played during the past three weeks.
Last week, state health authorities limited gatherings to 10 people or less from two households in most counties amid rising virus cases. On Tuesday, the City of Denver announced it was forcing restaurants and other businesses to operate at 25% capacity as it moved to Level 3.
Adams County will be under similar restrictions starting Wednesday night, while Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Douglas and Jefferson counties have had cases rise high enough that they could see more limitations as well in the coming weeks.
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October 29, 2020 at 01:10AM
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Colorado high school football teams’ seasons once again threatened by COVID-19 - The Denver Post
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