Football Fallback Plan Arrives Just In Time For Spring In Peabody

PEABODY, MA – Peabody Veterans Memorial High School Athletic Director Bob Bua said the first day of practice in any season can be an adventure.

Bua told Patch the first day of practice Monday in a "Fall 2" wedge season that has never before existed proved to "definitely bring a whole different set of circumstances."

But six months after the first daunting workouts amid the coronavirus health crisis, Bua found most athletes and coaches fully on board with the restrictions and modifications, and just happy to be around each other and have a football, volleyball or track and field relay baton in their hands once again.

"I don't care what season you are in, day one always has its ups and downs," Bua told Patch on Tuesday. "It's good to see the kids out and participating. That's the important thing."

While many doubted whether there would be a football season this year after it was postponed to the February-through-April "Fall 2" season, Bua said he was increasingly confident that — despite it being a "higher-contact sport" — football would be allowed in some form late in the winter.

"I think once they allowed hockey and basketball, at that point for me, it was pretty much that we'd have a Fall 2 season," Bua said. "How can you play hockey indoors and not play football outdoors? That's when my thought process fell into that we would have it."

While the rules of the game remain largely unchanged in football — compared to soccer and field hockey, which had substantial modifications in the fall — the rules surrounded practices make logistics more different when practice moves indoors due to the February cold and snow.

(High School Football Is Back In Massachusetts)

The football team will share the stadium this season with the "indoor" track team that will actually compete outdoors in the Northeastern Conference with the exception of a handful of events. Because of the vaccination site at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston, that track is not an option, while Boston University is also restricting non-student activities.

Girls volleyball, which the MIAA allowed in the fall but was postponed by the NEC, will play in the gym. Competitive cheer and unified basketball are two other sports allowed to compete in Fall 2.

"In the fall we were dealing with the unknown," Bua said. "Then the winter challenges were the indoor sports. Now in Fall 2, you have the outdoor elements. It's usually April vacation before you get your first kind of a nice day to be playing outside, but now we'll be doing it for the next two months."

Field and track cleared!!! Tanners will be outside!! pic.twitter.com/OgJpSSGxbx
— PVMHS Tanner Athletics (@TannerAthletics) February 23, 2021

Bua said the NEC athletic directors are finalizing schedules that will allow up to seven football games, 12 volleyball matches and five track meets.

"If we could get in all seven (football) games that would be awesome," Bua said.

Spectator guidelines have been eased a bit since the fall and now allow for two parents and immediate family to start the season, with the potential of further review if coronavirus rates continue to improve.

"That's the hope of everybody," Bua said. "Let's get through this year. Get kids the experiences we can get them and hopefully from there we are looking at somewhat of a normal fall schedule this year. The good thing is that as we get into April, May and June the weather will be more cooperative."

In the meantime, the chance to make a football, volleyball, track, competitive cheer and unified basketball season work is worth the extra juggling for coaches and administrators.

"I can't count the number of kids and parents who have come up to me and said they are just appreciative of the opportunity to play," Bua said. "Our job is to create as many opportunities this year to — for lack of a better term — have something 'normal' that they can do."

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)