GREENSBORO, N.C. — Students and coaches are breathing a sigh of relief after the North Carolina High School Athletic Association made an announcement on the future of fall sports Wednesday.
High school football will start in the spring under the new calendar.
Page High School Athletic Director Matthew Harder said his initial reaction to the news was excitement.
"We’re going to have the opportunity to play. I know how hard our coaches and student-athletes have worked at this time," he said, "I’m really excited they get the opportunity to actually have a season."
Page High School football player Connor Hardin said not being able to play in the fall is upsetting, but he's happy there's a plan in place to have a season at all.
"We just wanted to start playing now like we’re used to doing it," said Hardin, "We’ll have less games and it’s just gonna be different but at least we get to play. That’s the best part."
Hardin is going into his senior year at Page High School. He hopes, despite the condensed season, he'll still get the chance to prove himself for college.
"I was gonna use it to set myself up to college. I’ve been talking to a bunch of coaches and they were gonna look at me this season to base if I’d get a scholarship or not," he said.
The new schedule presents some challenges, according to athletic director Harder.
"One of the things that strikes me initially is just the fact that we have a lot of multi-sport athletes," Harder said, "There is some carry over from one season to the next with this schedule. Naturally, that happens anyway. This one is just a little more interesting because it’s a little more condensed."
Hardin said he's hoping the schedule stays in place and cases of the coronavirus go down.
"The only thing I’m probably worried about is it gets canceled and they end up just saying no once it gets there," he said.
Harder said the spring season will pose a challenge for student-athletes that play two, and in some cases, even three sports.
"I’m looking at the calendar right here and they’re going to miss portions of those seasons because they’re going to compete with three different sports," he said.
Harder said field space and weather may also pose some challenges.
"Some of the outside sports In January, February, and March - the threat of weather with snow and things like that will pose some challenges," Harder said.