Will South Suburban Conference Punt Fall High School Football?

OAK LAWN, IL — Football. It’s one of high school’s most time-honored traditions: a time to hang out with friends, brag about your kid in the stands and tearing down the goal posts. As if school districts aren’t having a hard enough time figuring out how to safely reopen for in-person instruction, schools are also grappling with whether to proceed with football and other fall sports.

The Illinois High School Association released tentative fall football schedules for schools throughout the state, setting Aug. 28 of the 2020 season. Districts are also being asked to work with their local health department on current COVID-19 restrictions in their areas concerning contact sports.

The South Suburban Conference comprises seven high schools, including Oak Lawn, Richards, Shepard, Eisenhower, Evergreen Park, Argo and Reavis, with some out-of-conference games.

Supt. Dr. Ty Harting told CHSD 218 board members at their meeting Monday that he has been in constant contact with other district superintendents regarding fall football.

“We’re certainly going to focus on the academic part first. We need to pull that off,” Harting said. “If we can accommodate athletics, we would love to do so, but we need to keep our kids safe.”

The Illinois High School Association is leaving it up to schools and conferences to determine whether they’re going to flick on the Friday night lights this fall pending current public health conditions. Should some sections of the state roll back to Phase 3 of Illinois’s reopening plan closing schools, fall sports may also be off the table.

Many districts complained that the IHSA’s guidelines were incongruent with social distancing directives handed down by the Illinois State Board of Education and Illinois Department of Public Health. The IHSA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee had previously developed its own return-to-play plan based on Centers for Disease and Prevention Control guidance, which differs from Illinois guidelines.

Dist. 229 Supt. Dr. Michael Riordan said it would be a conference decision whether Oak Lawn Community and other high school teams return to the gridiron this fall.

"A high school is not a youth athletic league,” Riordan said of IHSA guidelines. “As a public institution, we have to maintain and abide by safety guidance from IDPH, and that includes extracurricular activities. That guidance doesn't change for student athletes when they step onto the field."

On Tuesday, the IHSA issued a statement saying it would defer to the IDPH and ISBE. Changes to the IHSA guidelines include a greater emphasis on face masks worn by student athletes and eliminating scrimmages in sports that require physical contact.

IHSA teams can currently conduct limited summer contact workouts within Phase 4 Return To Play guidelines as directed by the ISBE and IDPH.

"We still believe there is a path to conducting high school athletics in the fall, like the majority of states surrounding Illinois plan to do," IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said.

Summer high school football camp is set to begin Aug. 10. Harting said Dist. 218, which includes three of his high schools — Richards, Shepard and Eisenhower — will plan as if football will take place.

“I hope it’s played, but I wouldn’t bet on it,” Harting said. “We’re going to jump off the cliff together holding hands.”