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At that time, Childress expressed a commitment to work with the Governor\u2019s Task Force to convince that group that the TSSAA could come up with a set of guidelines that would \u201cmitigate\u201d the risks of competition and allow those student-athletes \u2013 after seeing Division I basketball and spring sports end early — to have their seasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re able to do things as planned, but I don\u2019t think we\u2019d have been able to do things as planned without working with their team and letting them know we\u2019re going to do all we can to mitigate risks around practice and games,\u201d Childress said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During last week\u2019s TSSAA Board of Control meeting, regulations were adapted for the 2020-21 school year<\/a> in an effort to keep all participants as safe as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c(Lee) released us because of the work that\u2019s been done and the promises that have been made and the guidelines that have been set,\u201d Childress said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to do them now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Officials at the local level are hyper-aware of their responsibilities along those lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe definitely are appreciative of Mr. Childress and the TSSAA for all their hard work and leadership,\u201d Columbia Academy athletics director Pernell Knox said. \u201cThis is great for our seniors. I remember seeing our seniors in the spring and how devastated they were, and we definitely didn\u2019t want to go through that again, so this is great for all involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow is where it gets tricky. We have to do an even better job of making sure our coaches and kids are doing what they need to do as far as following protocols and everything we can to keep not only our kids safe, but our opponents safe as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once Lee signs the executive order \u2013 within the next 24 hours, Childress said Tuesday \u2013 football and girls soccer programs can begin preparations for beginning regular-season play the week of Aug. 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Football teams were allowed to begin the heat acclimatization process last week. All players must spend two days of practice in helmets only and three in helmets and shoulder pads before going in full gear. The football postseason will begin Nov. 6, with the BlueCross Bowl state championships set for Dec. 3-5 at Tennessee Tech’s Tucker Stadium in Cookeville.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Girls soccer state tournament play is scheduled for Oct. 28-31 in Murfreesboro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cross country, golf and volleyball were unaffected by the initial executive order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s exciting for the kids, for the coaches, for everyone involved,\u201d Maury County Public Schools AD Chris Poynter said. \u201cThere\u2019s still a lot of questions (about) what it will look like fully implemented. But we appreciate those parameters and protocols we have to execute.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maurice Patton is the editor for Southern Middle Tennessee Sports. He can be reached by e-mail at mopattonsports@gmail.com<\/a> or on Twitter at @mopatton_sports.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Maurice Patton With Governor Bill Lee announcing during a Tuesday press conference that he will sign an executive order and allow Tennessee high school football and girls soccer to begin regular-season play as originally scheduled, the work doesn\u2019t end. \u201cWhat people don\u2019t need to do now is relax,\u201d Bernard Childress, executive director of the … Continue reading Prep football, girls soccer on schedule for mid-August start<\/span>