This article was written by a student of ENGL 2310: Introduction to Journalism, which is taught by Mike Pulley.
In a year where almost every facet of life has been affected by COVID-19, the football field has been no different. Shortened seasons, mask mandates and a whole host of issues have affected football season in Pickens County so far, and while it hasn’t been without a hitch, all four Pickens County teams are on the verge of finishing a season some thought they would never have.
Beginning in the spring, teams were prepared for the worst. Spring sporting events were cancelled before they could even get off their feet and, with growing fear of the virus, there were doubts about the possibility of a fall season. Still, the South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) went ahead and set Sept. 8 as the date for high school football to begin in South Carolina.
“When they gave that Sept. 8 date, I told them all we were going to have to remain very flexible,” Daniel High School football coach Jeff Fruster said.
Fruster was right in cautioning flexibility, as the SCHSL moved the start of the season back two weeks in early August. Despite the setback, things were still on track to return to normal and for the county coaches that was enough to keep pushing forward toward the season.
“It’s been crazy, but it’s been a lot less strange than the spring was,” Pickens High School athletic director and head football coach Chad Smith said. “At least we’re able to do something.”
Precautions put in place by the SCHSL included mask mandates for coaches and fans at sporting events, limited capacities at stadiums, removal of post-game team handshake lines and restrictions on sharing water bottles amongst teammates.
At Daniel, players were not even able to all convene to the locker room at the same time post-practice because there wasn’t enough room to sufficiently social distance, according to an official within the Daniel sports program.
Even with all the precautions put forward, the county lost a team to COVID-19 protocol before the season began. The Liberty High School Red Devils were forced out of action for two weeks due to two positive cases on the team.
The Red Devils have since returned to action and the county hasn’t reported a single positive case among its four high school teams in the aftermath of the positive tests.
Now, with the season on the verge of ending, many of the coaches are just thankful they had an opportunity to get on the field.
“I had serious doubts about making it through the season,” Smith said. “It’s a blessing that I got to have this year with this special group of kids.”
