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COVID-19 delta variant looms over high school football season

High school football players are back out on the practice fields, preparing for an upcoming season that could bring changes.

ORWIGSBURG, Pa. — You won't find any players out on the field at Blue Mountain High School for evening football practice this week. The team has been showing up at 7 a.m. to avoid the heatwave. 

First-year Blue Mountain High School Athletic Director Doug Morgan said even early morning practices would be much harder on athletes if they had to wear a mask.

For now, masks are optional in the district, but with the COVID-19 delta variant leading to increased cases, Morgan knows that could change.

"Very fluid situation. We are really hoping as a Schuylkill League and Blue Mountain sports that we are mask-optional for the whole year," he said. "But we will adapt, and we will have to move and groove with the times if it does occur."

In the 2020-2021 school year, every season brought a new challenge and new adjustments.

"We had to come up with a health and safety plan for the athletic program that got approved by the school board," Morgan said. "So I did that for the fall season and adapted and change for the winter season and change and adapted for the spring season."

Morgan hopes a school board-approved health and safety plan will not be necessary this year. Right now, Blue Mountain is following St. Luke's Health System protocols when an athlete tests positive.

Athletic Trainer Mike Griglonis said COVID-19 can affect athletes beyond the fatigue and flu-like symptoms.

"It can put a strain on your heart and on your lungs," he said. "So when we have them go through this protocol, that's why it's a progressive process. We just kind of start off slow and work our way up each day."

He keeps an eye on his players' heart rate and breathing as they work their way back to the field.

"We currently have a student going through it, and he's doing very well. He just completed his third day, had some sports-specific skills out on the football field that I had him work through," Griglonis said. "He was up in the weight room, able to do light weight, and tomorrow he's going to try for practice. After that, he should be able to return fully."

"The health and safety of our student/athletes is the number one priority," Morgan added.

Players and coaches are looking out for one another as they look for success on the gridiron.

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