It’s a different look and feel, but football’s return in SC ‘really means everything’
Erik Kimrey got off the bus just like he’s done hundreds of times during his playing and coaching career.
But it was hard to recognize the Hammond football coach as he walked toward the field wearing a white gaiter on his face about an hour before kickoff against Ben Lippen.
Coaches wearing masks were just one of the many unusual sights Friday night as the S.C. Independent Schools kicked off their season during the COVID-19 era. Fans also wore face coverings, social distancing rules were in place for spectators and there were no handshakes between teams.
“In the course of the game it felt normal except for this,” Kimrey said while pointing to his mask he had to have on throughout the game. “I didn’t do a good enough job with it (mask). It is just not natural as you are trying to call plays and scream across the field.
“It feels a little different. Guys having to get their own water and doing different protocols and having to take three buses. At the end of the day, I am so glad we got to play football tonight and proud of the team.”
A different look for football, fans
Hammond won the game 35-7 as it begins the process of going for its fourth straight SCISA 3A championship. But the start of the year has been different than before because of the coronavirus. Players and coaches have to make sure they’re doing things safely away from school in addition to preparing on the field.
Kimrey said the pregame progress Friday had some different wrinkles than he was used to in more than a decade as Skyhawks coach. The team took three buses instead of just two so social-distancing can be practiced.
Hammond players brought their own water bottles or jugs to use throughout the game. Kimrey said the pre-game meal and team meetings were more spread out over the day than usual.
Referees took the field with gaiters on their face and necks with “SCISA” written on them. The coin toss was socially distanced and there were no pre-game handshakes between the two teams.
There were signs posted throughout the stadium and announcements over the public address system to remind fans to social distance and wear their masks if they were moving about the stadium. Hand sanitizing machines were located by the restrooms and concession stands.
There weren’t as many fans in the bleachers, as many opted to sit in chairs they brought and spread out on the sidelines and on the school’s new all-weather track.
Booster club members that got to the school early, parked their cars in each end zone and set up tables and chairs to eat and watch the game. Fans and the two student sections attempted to social-distance as much as possible — an effort that will take some getting used to.
Ben Lippen stopped selling tickets for the game Wednesday as they tried to keep the crowd under 1,000, per SCISA guidelines. Falcons athletic director Shannon Glenn said they sold 750 tickets plus essential personnel. The school could have easily sold hundreds more tickets as fans around the Midlands were starving to have high school football return.
Some public school coaches were in attendance to monitor things as they got ready for their seasons to kick off Sept. 25; others were watching at home as the school live-streamed the game online for the first time.
Glenn called it “quite an adventure” getting ready for Friday’s opener and wanting things to go smoothly.
“It has been interesting but we are excited to do it and put in the hard work to make sure everyone is safe,” Glenn said. “We wanted to do exactly what we needed to do so we can continue to play the remainder of the year.”
A big moment for parents, players
Across town, it was mainly a subdued crowd on hand at Heathwood Hall for their season-opener against Laurence Manning. Players on both teams were given two tickets each, so the crowd was between 70 to 75 on each side. No students were allowed but the Highlanders did have their cheerleaders on hand.
The stands were marked off with blue tape at least 6-feet apart, and fans were encouraged to sit on the blue tape to ensure social distancing was practiced properly.
There were no pre-game banners or anything for the Highlanders to run through. They jogged from their locker room beyond one end zone straight onto the field and to the sideline.
Blue dots were painted on the sidelines as well where players were supposed to social distance while on the sideline, but that was rarely used on either side.
Just getting to this point was important for Stephanie Creek, whose son Jackson starts on the offensive line for Heathwood Hall.
“This really means everything,” Creek said. “There was a lot of uncertainty coming into this year and with Jackson being a senior it was important to him to be able to play football. There were times we weren’t sure it was going to happen, but thankfully they’ve put everything in place for us to at least get to this point to get it started.”
Ben Lippen parent Cam Floyd shared Creek’s sentiment and had no reservations about letting his son play this season despite COVID-19 concerns. Floyd’s son, Cam, is a two-way starter for Ben Lippen and is in his first year at the school after transferring from Chapin in July.
During the summer, it was uncertain if public schools would play this fall, and there was a proposal to play in January. Plus, Ben Lippen offered in-person learning while the Lexington-Richland 5 District, where Chapin is located, is starting the year with a hybrid model that combines in-person and virtual learning.
“We started looking at other schools and they said they were playing so we were all in,” said Cam Floyd. “... It has been a blessing.”
When the final buzzer sounded at Heathwood and all SCISA games, the coaching staffs and players exchanged waves, but the teams exited the field without any postgame handshakes.
Now, teams begin the whole process again to get ready for next week.
Heathwood Hall coach Danny Lewis was pleased to come away with the season-opening win. He hopes a bigger victory will come Monday morning.
“I’ll be quite honest. The bottom line, we’ll find out if we won Monday morning,” Lewis said. “Let’s make sure we are social-distanced and things went well from a logistics standpoint and we get the OK and green light to play again next Friday. That’s what this game was all about — can we get to the next one?”
This story was originally published August 29, 2020 at 10:58 AM.
