Many states tightening belt due to recent surge in COVID-19 cases but GHSA easing restrictions.
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While states around them are tightening their belts on coronavirus restrictions, Georgia loosened it somewhat Wednesday.
According to multiple reports, the Georgia High School Association will allow football teams to engage in intra-squad 7-on-7 competitions beginning Monday when teams return from the state's June 28-July 4 dead week.
GHSA executive director Robin Hines told Todd Holcomb of the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he met Wednesday with his sports medicine advisory council, which endorsed easing restrictions on its sports teams. Last week the GHSA allowed groups engaging in workouts to increase from 25 members to 50.
Though 7-on-7 will be allowed as of Monday, it takes place without pads, helmets or tackling. Voluntary summer workouts continue in Georgia until July 27 when mandatory football practices are scheduled to begin followed by Aug. 1 for other sports. Tryouts for volleyball, cheerleading and softball may begin next week.
"Our sports medicine group feels that intensity can pick up,'' Hines told Holcomb. "Now quarterbacks can throw to wide receivers. Pitchers can throw to batters with a catcher. Volleyball players will be able to set and spike. We're just taking baby steps, trying to strive for normalcy, while keeping as healthy as we can.''
With a heavy spike in COVID-19 cases throughout the country, neighboring states like Tennessee and Florida are taking measures to push back fall seasons.
On Tuesday, the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association began digging into possible schedule changes after Gov. Bill Lee extended his state of emergency to Aug. 29. That will move back the original start of the football season — games were scheduled Aug. 21 — at least three weeks.
On Wednesday, a newly formed Florida High School Athletic Association task force voted 8-7 to recommend moving back fall football practice to no earlier than Aug. 10, roughly two weeks after its original July 27 date. Regular season openers slated for as early as Aug. 20 will likely get moved back to early September if the recommendation is approved.
Arizona and New Jersey have already moved their fall seasons back and many states, including Texas and Mississippi, are considering flipping fall sports to either the winter or spring.
Marietta ended the 2019 season as the No. 7 team in the country and No. 1 in Georgia.
Photo by Will Fagan
