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Remaining High School Football Teams Return to Practice, Non-contact Only

With the latest guidelines from the MHSAA, high school football was put on pause on Dec. 22, but over the weekend they released more about their pilot program for testing.

This allowed them to start practice back up on Monday instead of Wednesday. The exception was that they only practice doing non-contact conditioning and drills.

Teams will be receiving their testing kits by Wednesday, and they can have full-contact practices once they’ve taken their tests and received negative results.

The extra day is very beneficial for the remaining playoff teams.

“I didn’t expect us to be back going until Wednesday of this week, so today and tomorrow to have these two non-contact days or bonus days, so that’s great,” said Josh Sellers, Traverse City St. Francis’ head coach.

But there’s still lots of questions as they enter the new year and begin competition again.

“Again, it’s a pilot testing program and they call them pilot programs for a reason,” added Sellers. “And there’s still a million different question marks about ‘well coach what if I test positive or what if this or what if that’ and I said, well let’s just wait and cross those bridges when we come to them.”

Games resume on January 9 with regional finals for 11-player teams and semifinals for 8-player.

Local teams still left to play are:

  • Traverse City Central (plays North Farmington at Thirlby Field on 1/9 @ 3pm)
  • Cadillac (plays Forest Hills Eastern at home on 1/9 @ 1 pm)
  • Reed City (plays Freeland at home on 1/9 @ 1 pm)
  • Grayling (plays Negaunee at home on 1/9 2 pm)
  • Traverse City St. Francis (Oscoda forfeits, move on to semifinals. Will play winner of Ithaca/Cass City)
  • Johannesburg-Lewiston (plays at Iron Mountain on 1/9 TBD)
  • Suttons Bay and Inland Lakes (play at Suttons Bay on 1/9 @ 1 pm)
  • Marion (plays at Powers North Central on 1/9 @ noon)

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