Irma blows up prep football season

It wasn't long ago, as Hurricane Irma headed toward us, it did not look good for our area.

It was difficult to write about sports during that time, but thankfully, the storm only damaged our trees, a few signs and a traffic light here and there. I realize some households were affected more than others, but by and large, this was a successful survival job here in East County.

More than a week later, it finally feels acceptable to talk about sports again. That's a good thing, since the high school playoff picture is now a mess thanks to all the canceled games.

Here’s what football fans need to know. The Florida High School Athletic Association requires teams to play eight games to be eligible for the playoffs. Obviously, that qualification is in jeopardy for schools across the state thanks to not just Irma, but the lightning in previous weeks. The FHSAA’s executive director, George Tomyn, has the authority to waive that requirement on a case-by-case basis, and it is likely that he will choose to do so in this case.

Likely, sure, but not guaranteed. 

Even if it is waived, schools are still in a precarious situation. The FHSAA claims that the canceled games have no effect on the playoffs since qualification is based on a school’s points per game and not total points. This isn’t necessarily true, though, with the current points system that rewards strength of schedule.

To combat this problem, the FHSAA released a statement on Sept. 12 saying, more or less, that it was up to individual schools and counties to decide when, if and how to make up games lost to Irma or previous storms. It also said the FHSAA would not extend the season a week because it is trying to “cause the least amount of impact on all other non-athletic activities.” 

FHSAA spokesperson Kyle Niblett later told me those non-athletic activities include school dances, testing days and attempting to wrangle ushers and ticket takers to work the new dates. In essence, the organization put the decisions into the schools' hands to maintain full flexibility with their own schedules.  

For teams trying to squeeze their canceled games into the set regular season schedule, they would have to play more than one game within a week. It’s actually what the FHSAA suggested in its statement, and when I asked Niblett for more context, he again said it was about giving schools flexibility. He pointed to a different bulletin the FHSAA sent out last week, about modifying practices to keep players healthy, as his response.

"That will kind of be our statement on that," he said. "The other thing I want to reiterate when it comes to player safety is that is why we leave it in the districts' hands. They can put as many days in-between stuff as they see fit. 

"If you play on a Friday, we're going to leave it up to you if you play on a Monday. We're not going to comment on whether we agree with it, but we want you to understand the ramifications, health-wise, of playing two games in three days." 

Coaches were not happy with the association's overall stance.

“A lot of things are irritating about this,” Lakewood Ranch High coach Mick Koczersut said. “I really thought the state would extend the season by a week. That would have made things easier, I think, for everyone across the state, not just our county. When you put it on the individual school districts, each one makes a different decision.”

The Mustangs were originally scheduled to play Venice High (a quality opponent that would generate a higher point value for Lakewood Ranch) on Sept. 15. The Indians, part of Sarasota County, continued practicing post-Irma on Sept. 15, while the Mustangs have been forced to wait until Sept. 18.

The Mustangs’ last official practice was Sept. 6. If the schools had rescheduled their game for Monday, Sept. 18, as other Sarasota County programs had done, Venice would have had more practice than Lakewood Ranch. Obviously, that would be neither fair nor safe, so that did not happen. The schools are now in limbo trying to figure out when and if the game can be played.

Curt Bradley, head coach at Braden River, echoed Koczersut’s statement.

“That’s the most frustrating thing,” he said. “There’s no directive from the FHSAA as far as, ‘OK, here is what we are going to do.’ They didn’t add a week which everyone wishes they would have done. Now you’re getting into a situation where you potentially play three games in seven days, and I don’t know if that is what’s best for the health and safety of the students.

“That’s what worries me. Gate money, all that stuff, that’s important, but at the same time, nothing is more important than the student athletes.”

The FHSAA had an opportunity to calm the chaos of this football season, and fumbled it. Extending the season — not necessarily pushing it back, forcing everyone to play later, but adding a week where teams can make up a postponed game if they so choose — would have solved a lot of problems.

I understand it would have been a lot of work for some people, and probably cost a a fair amount of money, but it would have insured the safety of its student athletes. Instead, it is wiping its hands of responsibility, putting whatever happens on individual schools and districts. That does not sit well with me.