Senior night at the first game? Welcome to high school football in SC during COVID-19
South Carolina high schools missed out on a chance to honor senior athletes when the coronavirus shut down sports in the spring. Several Midlands schools are making sure that won’t happen in the fall.
When the high school football season kicked off Friday for public schools around the Palmetto State, senior night ceremonies were part of several teams’ opening night festivities.
Four-time defending state champion Dutch Fork was one of the schools to hold senior night in its opener. All schools in Lexington-Richland 5 are doing the same, saying thank you to seniors and their families in ceremonies traditionally reserved for the last home game of the season.
With COVID-19 already disrupting teams’ 2020 schedules, pandemic issues are likely to linger through the entirety of the season.
“It was good to have it during the first game, set the tone for the season and come out with a bang,” Dutch Fork receiver Elijah Spencer said.
Chapin held senior night Friday against Lower Richland. Irmo will honor its seniors next week against Dreher.
Lexington 1 schools, which include River Bluff, Lexington, White Knoll and Gilbert, plan to do the same at their openers in the coming weeks. Richland 2 school Ridge View had its senior night Friday.
Senior night ceremonies are often a culmination of four years of being a part of the program, but that wasn’t the case for players like Dutch Fork quarterback Will Taylor. The Clemson baseball commit was playing his first regular season game for the Silver Foxes on Friday after transferring from Ben Lippen in January.
Taylor, who was joined by his parents and brother on the field during the pre-game ceremony, had a memorable first game for the defending state champions. He threw for 307 yards and five total touchdowns in the 66-0 win over White Knoll.
“It was a blast, little different than what I am used to, but just to do it on senior night was special,” Taylor said. “It was a fun night out here with my boys.”
The push to have senior night at a school’s first home game made the rounds nationally on social media over the summer as teams started to get ready for fall sports.
Sports around the country were shut down in the spring because of the coronavirus pandemic, costing those seniors a chance at their final season and a traditional senior day ceremony. In South Carolina, high school sports were shut down in March and officially canceled April 23.
“It was very special, and that is what I talked to the team about before the game,” Chapin coach Justin Gentry said. “They hear from us — you never know when your last game is going to be, but this brings it all to a whole new light. So just go out look around and soak it all up. That is what is all about.
“You go out and work hard Monday through Thursday, and Friday is your reward. So that is what is all about.”
With senior night out of the way, the hope now is to get through the shortened seven-game regular season and then the playoffs in the midst of COVID-19.
Some schools in the Midlands such as Lexington, River Bluff and Camden had their openers postponed or canceled because of coronavirus concerns or players testing positive. Almost a dozen games across the state were either canceled or postponed.
Coaches and school administrators continue to stress the importance of staying safe. Throughout Friday’s game, the public address announcer at Dutch Fork reminded folks in the crowd to wear their masks and practice social distancing. At Chapin, barriers were placed on the home side to prevent large groups from sitting together. Students sat on the hill with circles painted in the end zone for spots to stand during the game.
“I know a lot of people are shutting down but we are still encouraging guys to wear their masks, quarantine and make this our little bubble,” Dutch Fork coach Tom Knotts said. “Hopefully, we will stay intact and get to play the whole year. But we will see.”
