High school football returns in Dallas-Fort Worth with rules set amid coronavirus pandemic
Brock’s offense dominated early against Midlothian Heritage during Thursday night’s scrimmage and for one day, football was back and things had returned to some sense of normalcy.
After the coronavirus pandemic decimated the course of the offseason — canceling spring football and 7-on-7 — the first and only scrimmages in Texas took place this week in Class 4A and below. Most of those teams will kick off the season Aug. 27-29.
“It’s been a long time from March since we did something organized like this and it’s just nice to be back out here with the kids,” said Brock coach Chad Worrell.
Fans were required to wear masks while coming into the stadium, which was limited to 50% capacity. They were socially distanced in the stands unless they were sitting with family.
Spectators standing along the fence also kept their distance from one another. Concession workers, coaches and trainers were also wearing masks.
“Things are getting back to normal, and it’s a welcomed thing. We’ve been waiting a long time and we hope it’s the start of something great, not only for our kids, but all the kids,” said Ross Dillingham, whose son Luke is a senior free safety at Brock. “It’s been tough, but they’ve overcome. They had to battle through. It’s just good to be back and have a chance to watch football again.”
Earlier this month, Worrell said that 50% of Brock’s stadium would put them at 1,200 fans. “That’s a pretty good number for a high school football game.”
The varsity game ran a simulated scrimmage for two hours. Both teams were tested on each side of the ball with no time involved. Brock had five or six touchdowns while limiting Heritage’s scoring.
And the players and coaches weren’t the only ones working out the kinks. The officials, also on the field in game situations for the first time in five months, need to get re-acclimated as well.
“It’s a little different and there are some learning curves to go through. We’ve missed a lot of football, but we’re ready to get going,” said Klaus Strassmann, who has been an official for 28 years.
Officials working the scrimmage didn’t wear masks, to allow them to make calls and blow whistles.
Strassmann said he knows a few officials that have decided to sit out the season due to COVID-19 concerns.
“They will make the best decision for them and their family, and we respect that. The rest of us will pick up the slack and hope enough officials will get this season covered,” he said. “For a small percent, this is their job so not having sports impacted them. For a lot of us, this is a hobby, but it makes a difference being back. It was a boring summer with not much going on.
“I love being out here. The atmosphere is awesome. Watching the kids play the sport they love, it’s special.”
Following the simulated part of the scrimmage, one 12-minute quarter was played. With 2:07 left on the clock, Brock drove the field and scored with 36 seconds remaining to grab a 14-7 lead.
Worrell said they still have some work to do before opening the season against Bushland in Iowa Park on Aug. 28.
“We made some mistakes and we’re not in shape yet. That’s kind of the downfall of having one scrimmage, but overall we had good effort,” he said. “We’re going to try to get better each week, win a district championship and go a long way in the playoffs.”
Brock finished 12-3 after being knocked out by Pottsboro, 36-35, in the state semifinals. Luke Dillingham would be voted all-district first-team defense.
“We’re not worried about being out here. We’re taking all the precautions and the administration and coaching staff are making sure the boys are safe,” Ross Dillingham said. “We’ll do all the little things because we love to play football out here in Brock.”
This story was originally published August 21, 2020 at 5:52 PM.
