First football Friday night normal in some ways, different in many others

Fans who did make it inside the stadium sat in small groups, distanced at least six feet apart from other small groups. It was the same for fans in the Springboro student section, where in any other year students would have been packed close together.

On the sidelines, the Springboro and Northmont players who weren’t in the game were instructed to stand on colored dots to remind them to stand separate from their teammates. While players huddled during timeouts, if the offensive players were talking to a coach while the defense was on the field, they sat in chairs six feet away from the other players.

Every player had their own water bottle with their names written on them. There was no community water station. Of course, masks were everywhere. That’s a given. This is 2020.

However, despite all the changes, all the sacrifices everyone made just to get to the point of playing football during the coronavirus pandemic, once the game started, the action took center stage and made the opening night of the high school football season seem fairly normal in the end.

“I was just so excited to play football,” Northmont quarterback Cade Rice said.

“We want to play football,” Northmont wide receiver Markus Allen said. “That’s all we want to do. We love football.”

Rice and Allen created an unforgettable moment in Week 1, connecting on a 32-yard touchdown with nine seconds to play to beat Springboro 40-36.

Although schools can’t allow more than 1,500 fans or 15 percent capacity this season, there were enough fans at Springboro to give the players a sense of normalcy. Rice was able to get four tickets and gave them to his parents and grandparents. Allen also received four, giving them to his parents and aunt and uncle.

The ticket situation will be a story all year as players figure out who gets them each week. Getting used to playing in front of fewer fans will also be an adjustment.

Piqua coach Bill Nees, whose team beat rival Troy 26-10, thought the game felt like a scrimmage until it started.

“Once the game got going, boom,” Nees said. “I think when the bands start playing, you just get into it.”

At Shawnee in Springfield, which opened the season with a 40-3 victory over Urbana, the atmosphere was a little bit different, but not too much, Braves coach Rick Meeks said.

“We didn’t have the band here, and there weren’t as many fans,” he said. “But once we started playing, it felt like a typical game to me. I typically have on headphones. I’m able to block that stuff.”

Shawnee had several “get back” coaches on the sidelines, instead of just one. They were also focusing on making sure players wore masks and kept their distance from other teammates.

“I really didn’t even notice it that much,” Meeks said. “It felt like a normal game to me, and that’s good.”

It was a different story at Hamilton, which lost 33-28 when Princeton scored with 16 seconds left. Coach Nate Mahon said the environment was not what it should be or what they would like to have.

“We get to play, so that’s fine,” he said, “but it’s absolutely, completely different unfortunately.”

Hamilton and Princeton stayed on the field at halftime. Princeton had a tented area in one corner of the stadium. Fans heard many reminders from the public-address announcer to keep their masks on throughout the game.

Those announcements will be heard all season at every stadium. The suggested announcement from the Ohio High School Athletic Association reads like this:

“Ladies and Gentlemen — this year, our season depends on the cooperation and support from everyone to follow the safety guidelines set by the Ohio Department of Health, the Governor’s Office and the Ohio High School Athletic Association. As we have seen, the opportunity to play sports can be taken away by the spread of COVID-19. We ask that everyone in attendance wear a facial covering, use proper hygiene and keep yourself and your family six feet apart from other families. Our ability to follow these guidelines will go a long way in determining how much of a season our student-athletes will have. Thank you for your cooperation.”

For their part, the players were just happy to get the chance to play. Even if the season was shortened from 10 games to six, they know many states across the country have postponed football season to the spring. They know almost every college football team in the state won’t play this fall. They also remember what it was like to see the winter sports championships and the entire spring sports season cancelled.

The first Friday night of the 2020 season was very different but also very special.

“You’ve got to be grateful because the season was up in the air,” said Springfield quarterback Te’Sean Smoot, whose team beat Wayne 21-14. ”To be able to come out and make plays and showcase our talents it feels good.”