SBC Lake, Bay fill out football schedules with crossover games

The Sandusky Bay Conference's Lake and Bay division teams have locked in six-game schedules that will feature one SBC crossover game in addition to each team's five divisional games. Athletic directors from both divisions met for five hours Monday morning in Fremont to organize what SBC executive secretary Greg Hedden called "a document in working order." Under current OHSAA parameters, the Bay and Lake teams would begin their 2020 seasons on Aug. 28. "It's easier to come up with a schedule on paper," Hedden said. "At this point in time, it's just about playing (the games). We just want them filled and to give kids the opportunity to play in them." Monday's meeting was spurned by Friday's OHSAA's announcement that said the 2020 football season would be shortened to six games due to concerns about the coronavirus. The OHSAA also announced that all schools would qualify for the playoffs (new districts will be drawn) and plans to finish the season by Nov. 21. The six crossover games will all be played in Week 1, followed by the schools' divisional games. Norwalk, which will kick off its season at Huron, was one of several schools to tweet their full football schedules on Monday. "I think we have a good plan in place that we're going to get these kids some games," Norwalk athletic director Josh Schlotterer said. "Hopefully, we're able to play 10, 11, 12 games. But right now with the six that we have scheduled, I feel very optimistic that we'll be able to play them." Schlotterer's hope for more games is partially motivated by his desire for the Truckers to make another deep playoff run. They lost to Sandusky in the regional semifinals last season after advancing to the state semifinals in 2018. This year, though, Schlotterer hopes that teams such as Norwalk might be able to play more games despite a playoff loss. Hedden said the SBC is reviewing the OHSAA's guidelines to see if its members could schedule games against other eliminated teams to maximize competition for students. That practice already exists in high school baseball, according to Hedden, but he's unsure of how it would work with football during a pandemic. One thing he knows for sure: none of those games could be scheduled in advance. "You can't schedule anything now," Hedden said. "You don't know when schools are winning or losing in that playoff system. You have to wait." The SBC's River Division, which includes six schools that play football, is working on its six-game schedule, too. Where the Lake and Bay teams can conveniently schedule crossover games, Hedden said the smaller River teams are searching outside the SBC for Week 1 matchups. In past seasons, scheduling crossover games has been a tricky practice. Edison coach Jim Hall said Monday that smaller Bay schools are typically careful not to load their schedules with larger Lake schools because it hurts their playoff odds. This season, everyone makes the playoffs. And everyone needs a non-conference game. Schlotterer said the relationships in the SBC have "become even stronger" under the adverse circumstances the conference has faced this offseason. "We're galvanized; we're in this together," he said. "It's cool to see that we're getting these crossover games and I think our league — the size of our league — helped us to make this an easier schedule than some other leagues may have." While schedules are finalized, Hedden said the conversation about allowing fans to attend football games this year is "in progress." He did mention, however, that it will be a challenge to generate a plan for a conference that features teams from five different counties, which means consulting with five different health departments. ----- SBC crossover games The SBC Lake and Bay will play six crossover games on Aug. 28, the first week of the high school football season. Bellevue at Oak Harbor Edison at Sandusky Norwalk at Huron Perkins at Vermilion Port Clinton at Tiffin Columbian Willard at Clyde