On Track To Play

WAAY 31's Lynden Blake spoke with a high school coach to find out if he thinks we'll have high school football in Alabama this fall.

Football in alabama.

The alabama high school athletic association told me today the season is still set to start august 20.

Boaz head coach jeremy sullivan hasn't made any changes to his schedule but told me it's not a good trend, when big time conferences are cancelling the season.

Pkg: one difference between college and high school sports during a pandemic, high schoolers don't get their season back.

"it's such a different animal because they can give their guys a year without it counting against them and we can't."

That gives boaz head coach jeremy sulilvan hope,high school football will go on, even if other conferences cancel including the sec.

"it seems to me they are making decisions independently of each other."

The alabama high school athletic association stands firm on staring august 20.

And like the sec, the state association hasn't rushed to make any changes.

"i think the ahsaa has been smart about waiting as long as they could to make their decisions."

When the season starts, sullivan doesn't want football to take the blame for covid-19 cases contracted at other events.

"so we're having a fair and nothing will get blamed on it, we have two positive cases in the county and it will be because the two high school games that happened that week.

I don't know whats going to happen, i know a lot of people have to make tough decisions."

As a former college player and coach at jacksonville state, sullivan feels for players who don't get a season.

At the high school level ,his message echos college players including trevor lawrence and najee harris.... "we want to play football, we want to coach, the players want to play, if the local school system feels like it's safe for them to play, lets play."

Tag: sullivan did tell me he thinks the cancelled football seasons will affect high school players who are trying to play at the next level.

He told me when mid majors lose money from their power five games, it's hard to survive.

Rporting for waay 31 sports im lynden blake.