- May 6, 2024
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Part of me wishes the season started one month later.
The dawn of September is the dawn of hurricane season, and as Florida has already seen over the past week, it's freshly upon us. It has been an inconvenience for the FHSAA football teams across the state who have had to maneuver or suspend games on their original schedule.
Many players have taken to social media to ask why games are suspended due to the need to get exposure on game film for college scouts, and other pundits have noted that football is simply not a priority when it comes to handling an impending natural disaster.
The handling of Irma was smart on the part of FHSAA's administrators and the coaches around the state. There was no need for football to be played amid the kind of conditions that were headed Florida's way.
Even as the storm moved toward the center of the state and away from Port Orange near Florida's east coast, there were segments of almost every Florida county that were affected by the storm, and Irma effectively shut down Florida high school football for the week.
Spruce Creek and Atlantic both had their games suspended, and each team will now be forced to play two games in five days as Creek travels to Sandalwood on Tuesday and Haines City on Friday and Atlantic heads to Pine Ridge on Tuesday and New Smyrna Beach on Friday.
There is some catching up to do as far as games are concerned, but safety should always be the first priority.
As I write this in the middle of September I continue to see more news of storms headed toward the Florida peninsula from the Atlantic. Maria is a monster hurricane currently adrift in the Caribbean. There are many things that can be controlled when it comes to high school sports, but the weather isn't one of them.
When the radar shows a storm is coming, it's best for all involved to allow time for transportation and evacuation. I'm glad that the FHSAA provided swift updates throughout the process and pledged for a safety first agenda.
I understand the need for players to get their games in, because they all count toward the possibility of a future in the sport, but there won't be any future for a player if he or she gets affected by a storm in an irreparable way.
