MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — University High football coach John Kelley told his team after Monday’s opening practice of the three-week summer workout period — or Phase 3 — that the first day is always the best day.
Kelley would know, entering his 34th season as the head coach of the Hawks, but as good as his young team looked to start, there is the looming cloud of doubt because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Late Monday, the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission announced new guidelines for football specific practices. As a result, UHS suspended its on-field three-week workout period and will resume weightlifting and conditioning in hopes to create an update practice schedule.
The WVSSAC already announced the start of the football season will be pushed back one week, so UHS’s season-opener at John Marshall was wiped out, as were all Week 1 games in West Virginia.
Due to a scheduling conflict, the Hawks and Monarchs are unable to play at all this season, but Kelley said there are currently 3-4 opponents under consideration to play during UHS’s bye week Oct. 9.
Still, the three-week period is expected to last until July 31 if the Hawks resume, followed by two weeks under the previous “Phase 2” guidelines released under the WVSSAC. Phase 2 included groups of 25 working in pods with masks both indoors and outdoors, doing strictly strength and conditioning rather that sport-specific drills.
Regular camp will begin Aug. 17 and the Hawks will now open their season Sept. 4 at Parkersburg South.
“I can tell you date wise and number-of-practices wise, our scrimmages are out,” Kelley said. “We may be able to pick somebody else up, but we won’t be playing Keyser or Laurel Highlands (Pa.). We aren’t going to match up with John Marshall to be able to make that up, either, for Week 1, but we’ve got about 3-4 schools that we’re in contact with.”
Regardless of its first opponent, UHS will look to bounce back following a 3-7 campaign a year ago. The good news, though, is that the Hawks lost just three seniors from last year.
While still young, many underclassmen were forced to play last season, so they are a year older, a year wiser and a year better.
“Big time, bonafide football players graduate — that’s just how it works — but you try to develop other kids and use people like Logan Raber as an example,” Kelley said. “The three seniors we lost were very valuable seniors, but that’s better than losing 11, that’s for sure.”
The Hawks were down about 14 players to open the three weeks — strength and conditioning began June 8 for Phase 2, so the group has been together over a month previously — because of vacations and self-quarantining due to contact-tracing with COVID-19.
Chase Edwards is expected to take the quarterback spot after starting the end of last season as a freshman. Many of the skill players and a few big guys on the offensive line are back, including Jaeden Hammack, T.T. Brooks, Drew Burton and Colin McBee.
“We’re going to be better, I can see that already,” Kelley said. “I liked the way we wrapped it up right there. I think our special teams is going to be a lot better. We’ve got some kickers. We’ve got depth — I think that’s the biggest thing I’m seeing. We’ve got some big kids and once we get everyone back who are out, we’ll have good numbers at about 70.
“Everything is day-to-day, we’re going to enjoy the moment, keep our fingers crossed and hope things work out.”
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