These are the plot lines to watch during Fall II football - The Boston Globe

The MIAA will officially kick off its Fall II football season on Friday night after the Fall I season was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Here are the top storylines to watch in this unprecedented season:

▪ Playing for a conference title — Without a state tournament, the end goal for almost every team in the state is to win their conference. That will require different criteria, with conferences such as the Dual County League and Catholic Conference planning a final four bracket after five weeks of regular season games. Since at least one Catholic Conference team has appeared in the Division 1 Super Bowl since the MIAA adopted a new playoff format in 2013, the champion of that conference could be called the de facto state champion of the Fall II season. “In any conference, your goal is to control the controllables, which is to win the league,” said Xaverian coach Al Fornaro. “We’ve pushed back and pushed forward two seasons [to have Fall II football], so who are we to say we need a state playoff? We’re in a pandemic. The fact that we’re out there playing is good for everybody. And if we win the league, anybody, or maybe the newspapers, can crown a paper champion.

▪ Staying focused — Even a small slipup from players or coaching personnel could force a team to go on pause due to COVID protocols. With zero wiggle room available in a seven-week season, games that are postponed will almost certainly be cancelled, and could cost teams their eligibility for a conference crown. Austin Prep, Bishop Fenwick, and Lawrence are three programs that are starting the season with cancelled games and a pause of 10-plus days.

“We have to preach to the kids we’re putting the faith of our season in their hands,” said North Andover coach John Dubzinski. “And not just us, we’re counting on every team in the league to remember, you’re not just a run-of-the-mill student-athlete. People are depending on you.”

▪ The non-varsity season — Outbreaks and shutdowns can occur if non-varsity players slip up too, so most programs are taking extra precautions to keep their teams separated.

“We’re going to try to treat it like three separate teams and limit the number of kids taking JV and varsity reps,” said Tewksbury coach Brian Aylward . “That’s going to be the toughest challenge for all coaches, because you don’t want to have a situation where one kid can knock out two teams.”

A few leagues are only fielding JV teams with freshmen playing up, and some are still trying to determine whether they have enough programs to hold a season for freshmen teams.

▪ Thanksgiving facsimiles —When fall football was postponed, a number of the nation’s most historic Thanksgiving rivalries were cancelled for 2020. In order to keep the tradition alive to an extent, many leagues are scheduling rivalry matchups for the final week of their regular season. The Greater Boston League, which starts play on April 15, will schedule some Thanksgiving matchups in Week 1 around Patriots Day. Rivals that play in different leagues, however, are mostly out of luck.

▪ New multi-sport athletes — With four seasons on the athletic calendar this year, student-athletes who play fall sports are getting their first chance to play varsity football. That could significantly boost the talent level of smaller programs such as Essex Tech and other vocational schools. Even athletes who are usually concentrating on offseason workouts or pre-season hockey training are now available to give it a go on the gridiron.

“You can’t get too excited about these really great athletes,” said Essex Tech coach Dan Connors. “Because you don’t know if they’re just giving it a shot, or are they really trying to get into football? And do I play those kids over my regulars if they’re only here for one year?”

▪ Modifications — Relief was the general sentiment throughout the Massachusetts football community when modifications were announced ahead of the Fall II season. While there are several key changes to game day administration — such as the number of players on an active roster and inability to use locker rooms — game play will remain largely the same.

Of course, masks are still required for all players and personnel and the huddle is only supposed to be run with players facing in the same direction. With new National Federation rules to implement and a plethora of rules to memorize, will referees be able to enforce those modifications as well?

▪ Experimental offense — With modifications restricting traditional huddles and masks inhibiting communication, coaches and players are going to have to adjust when it comes to signaling during games, especially on offense. Programs that have practiced their no-huddle offense for years have a head start, while other programs that have traditionally focused on huddling up might use this shorter season to experiment with a new up-tempo scheme based on hand signals and checks with coaches on the sidelines.

“To be honest, this is something I’ve always wanted to go all-in on and try it out,” said West Bridgewater coach Justin Kogler, who has run the triple option at Old Rochester and WB for several years. “I’ve always had a no-huddle offense, but I’m not a no-huddle coach. I’m going to use this as an opportunity to see if we like it.”

COVID-related modifications also allow quarterbacks to spike the ball from the shotgun this year, which can help an up-tempo attack.

▪ Adjusted calendars —The Mayflower League has pushed back the start of the Fall II season and the spring season to make it more equitable for student-athletes competing in those seasons and also help schools that need the weather to warm up for their grass fields to be playable.

The Greater Boston League is playing winter sports until April 10 and starts Fall II practices on April 1, so winter athletes may have to juggle both sports if they want to be prepared for the start of football season.

▪ Anytime, anywhere — Some schools are unable to host games with several sports from several seasons competing to use their turf fields. Some schools have grass fields that simply aren’t playable in March, so athletic directors are working tirelessly to secure game sites and the co-operation between ADs across the state is going to be integral towards securing legitimate fields for many varsity and subvarsity contests.

▪ Senior showcases — Many members of the Class of 2021 are still in limbo in terms of where they might be able to play football at the next level. While most scholarships have already been allotted, a strong Fall II campaign could be the difference between a senior getting a preferred walk-on offer and going to a preparatory school for a post-graduate year. Members of the Class of 2022 will also be eager to showcase their skills to set up interest from colleges ahead of the Fall 2021 season.

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These are the plot lines to watch during Fall II football - The Boston Globe
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