The wait is over. High school football returns to Longmont today.
In their first game of the revived fall season, Skyline and Silver Creek will square off in a non-league game at Everly-Montgomery Field.
Kickoff is at 6 p.m., but fans without a player or cheer or dance squad member on the field won’t be able to attend.
“Boulder County Health granted us 175 fans per game,” St. Vrain Valley School District executive director of Athletics, Activities, Fine Arts, PE and Health, said via email earlier this week. “Each game can have up to 28 cheerleaders, 28 dancers and 50 football players per team. So if each school has a full cheer team, and a full dance team, that doesn't allow enough tickets for two tickets per participant for the home school. Thus, each school will have to divide up their 175 allotment how they best see fit.”
Each school will be handling its tickets on an individual basis, McBride said, “but, I can tell you there will be no tickets sold at the gate for community members. The 175 will easily be taken up by parents of participants of the contest, and parents of opposing participants.”
The game will be livestreamed here.
Even if the community at large can’t attend, the game — as well as Longmont’s non-conference opener at Brighton at 7 p.m. today — marks a milestone many believed wouldn’t happen.
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Colorado High School Activities Association’s board of directors on Aug. 4 approved a 2020-21 sports calendar that broke high school sports into four seasons — A, B, C and D — and moved football to the spring in season C. But that plan was changed last month, when the CHSAA board approved variances from the Governor's COVID Response Team that allow schools to play football and field hockey and bring spirit squads back to the sidelines this fall.
The football season is shortened to six games. Eight teams will make the playoffs, and those schools that don’t advance will have the chance to play a seventh game the week after their sixth, McBride said in an email last month.
Football teams must play four of the six regular-season games to be eligible for the playoffs, according to CHSAA.
The first round of the playoffs is slated to be Nov. 21, with semi-finals on Nov. 28 and championship games on Dec. 5.
Masks must be worn by everyone at games, including athletes, according to McBride, and football teams will be limited to 50 players per roster for a maximum of 100 on a field.
Other safety precautions, according to McBride, will include:
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Coaches and players must maintain 3 to 6 feet of social distancing when not participating in the game.
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The team boxes will extend to the 10-yard lines to allow for more space on the sideline.
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A maximum of four non-participatory students (managers/trainers etc.) will be allowed on the sidelines.
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There will be no shared water.
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Hand sanitizer will be available on both sidelines.
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There will be no locker room use pre- or post-game or during half time.
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There will be no pregame coin toss.
