Football teams are on the clock

Three weeks from today, Ohio high school football players will be studying video clips from their season openers played the previous night. The football season is that close and practice hasn't even started. Well, not officially. The OHSAA lifted its summer no-contact period for coaches in many sports -- including football -- for the second straight year. It also allowed teams to check off two of their five "acclimation" days during the summer, which means most football squads will be in full pads sometime next week. An extra round of playoffs moved up the start of the regular season for area schools to Friday, August 20, but coaches don't seem to be panicking. "There are two ways to look at it," Sandusky coach Mike Franklin said. "You have one less week of practice (in August). The other part is how much effort did you put in during the summer? "It's not contact practice, but we added extra days during the summer." Franklin estimated the Blue Streaks had more than 10 extra sessions this summer compared to pre-COVID seasons. Fall sports officially begin Sunday, and area teams including Sandusky, Perkins, Clyde, Huron, Port Clinton and Margaretta are hitting the practice fields. Some others are starting Monday. Because the OHSAA allowed more practice time this summer, coaches had to balance their players' on-field development with normal summer activities such as jobs and vacations. Many multi-sport athletes were spread thin because they practiced with more than one team. "Our kids are gassed; it's unfair for all sports," Port Clinton coach Beau Carmon said of the new rule. "They go to other sports and football. We have to share a lot of three-sport athletes. That's kind of a mess. I think there should be a limit for all sports, including football. It's an all-out free-for-all." Bellevue coach Ed Nasonti expressed concern about overuse injuries before games even begin. "I'm not sure that's in the best interests of the kids when you have multiple-sport kids in the summer," he said. "It's the wild, wild West." Nasonti said the Redmen practiced this summer on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and were more efficient in their workouts, due in part to the purchase of more exercise bands that helped move players through the weight room quicker. "We don't take any more of their time or their days. We tried to be mindful of our kids' time," Nasonti said. "We have kids with jobs and in multiple sports." Carmon, whose Redskins participated in three 7-on-7 events, gave his team five days off around the Fourth of July. Like many programs, PC held football workouts mostly at night this summer. "All of our kids pretty much work so we do everything in the evening so we're limited on what we can do in that amount of time," Carmon said. More reps this summer were crucial to Perkins because Jalen Santoro is in his second season as head coach, and the first was affected by coronavirus protocols. Like everyone, the Pirates had to balance work and play. "That's beneficial, but where do you stop?" Santoro said of the suspension of the OHSAA's no-contact rule. "You have to find the fine line without overwhelming them and you have to give these kids their summer." Perkins' first scrimmage is Friday at Shelby. Two weeks later, the Pirates kick off the regular season at Toledo Woodward. "You don't have time to play the position game as much," Santoro said about this year's schedule. "It's a time crunch." State guidance Unless the pandemic worsens in the coming weeks, it looks like fall sports will look, well, fairly normal. The OHSAA sent an update to member schools this week with some key takeaways from the Ohio Department of Health's recent guidance for schools. The OHSAA is urging all schools to follow safe protocols, but also pointed out that the mandate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that masks be worn while using public transportation (including schools buses) remains in place. The OHSAA also pointed out that there are NO other mandates regarding masks. The OHSAA also highly recommends that coaches and athletes who are eligible for vaccinations get vaccinated. ----- Opening scrimmages Bellevue -- Aug. 6 vs. Oak Harbor, 10 a.m. Perkins -- Aug. 6 at Shelby, 10 a.m. Sandusky -- Aug. 6 vs. Clearview, 5:30 p.m. Norwalk -- Aug. 7 vs. Crestview, 9 a.m. Edison -- Aug. 7 at Colonel Crawford, 10 a.m. Margaretta -- Aug. 7 at South Central, 10 a.m. Monroeville -- Aug. 7 at Van Buren, 10 a.m. Port Clinton -- Aug. 7 vs. Tiffin Columbian, 10 a.m. St. Paul -- Aug. 7 vs. Keystone, noon Clyde -- Aug. 10 vs. Eastwood (TBA) Danbury -- Aug. 13 vs. St. Mary CC, 10 a.m. Huron -- Aug. 13 vs. Clyde, 6 p.m.