Rob Oxford: Are You Ready For Some Football?

By Rob Oxford

The answer is a resounding YES! I am ready for some football.

 

It’s the week of the Super Bowl and I’m ready for some… High School Football.

 

As the state enters Phase 2 of Governor Inslee’s “Healthy Washington” Reopening Plan, the WIAA has given the thumbs up to the beginning of a shortened football season consisting of 5 games. Details have yet to be finalized at press time, but this is great news.

 

Great news for our players. Most of whom learned to play football together in each other’s backyard and on the same playgrounds. Then, as teammates and occasionally adversaries they continued to develop their skills and friendships playing Junior Football for Richmond or Mountlake Terrace. 

 

In middle school they would begin to carry on the friendly rivalry that for decades has been Kellogg vs. Einstein, culminating in the Shorecrest vs. Shorewood H.S. Rotary Cup. An event that each year draws the biggest crowd to Shoreline Stadium of any Friday Night in the Fall.

 

I make no apologies for living east of I-5, I’m a Shorecrest Dad. But I’m confident that I speak for both my fellow Highlander and Thunderbird Moms and Dads when I say we are overjoyed that there will finally be a season. Whether abbreviated or not, this announcement is the first signal that some sense of normalcy is returning to all our lives.

 

There will be few if any fans in the stadium, but high school football should never be about the fans. Team Dinners will most likely be prepackaged snacks enjoyed at a distance, special edition t-shirts will be individually wrapped and hermetically sealed, special guest speakers will offer advice and encouragement via Zoom and players will be required to follow all social distancing protocols. 

 

“Pod Training” for the Scots begins this week under strict guidelines. Players will be split into small position groups and physical contact will be prohibited for the first few days.

Again, this is a rapidly developing situation and more information is sure to follow. I encourage you to check your respective schools’ website for detailed information.  

   

This article from January will better detail what other sports will be returning under the Phase 2 reopening: WIAA rearranges Washington high school sports seasons to put fall sports first - Washington High School Sports News, Scores, Rankings - SBLive Washington (scorebooklive.com)

 

Ironically it was only a few weeks ago I received a correspondence informing me…“There’s no football season… so maybe stop giving hope to everyone”.

 

I can’t in good conscience say I expected there to be a spring football season, but I can honestly say I never gave up hope.

 

Good luck to the Shorewood Thunderbirds and Shorecrest Scots. Here’s “hoping” this season is injury free and that no one ever suggests you to stop “hoping”.