High Point Christian sweats out football practice
Players run out for warmups before High Point Christian's football practice Friday at West End Park in High Point.
Suzanne Bell (right) checks players' temperatures before football practice at High Point Christian Academy High Point, N.C., on Friday, August 14, 2020.
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Colby Cox (left) and his twin brother, Chase, take a break during football practice at High Point Christian Academy High Point, N.C., on Friday, August 14, 2020.
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Players run drills during football practice at High Point Christian Academy High Point, N.C., on Friday, August 14, 2020.
https://greensboro.com/content/tncms/live/#5
Colby Cox (left) and his twin brother, Chase get a drink of water during football practice at High Point Christian Academy High Point, N.C., on Friday, August 14, 2020.
HIGH POINT — In many ways it looked like just another preseason football practice in mid-August.
The High Point Christian Cougars took the field at West End Park just before 9 on a humid, overcast Friday morning. The 27 players wore their green practice jerseys and white helmets, but no pads. They went through nearly three hours of practice, including individual drills and team offensive and defensive work. They ran. They sweated. And they drank lots of water (from individual bottles).
The first clue that things were different was coach Scott Bell’s wife, Suzanne, using a digital thermometer to check players’ temperatures before they could participate.
Yes, Bell and his staff coached up the Cougars as they usually do, but another indication that things have changed was how far Bell and his assistants were from the players for much of the morning. There were no hands-on demonstrations, no in-your-face motivations.
High Point Christian is the only high school football team in Guilford County practicing, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Cougars have had to adjust.
The N.C. High School Athletic Association, which governs sports for the state’s public schools, is only allowing limited workouts at its member schools because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The NCHSAA also has pushed its football season from the fall back to the spring.
Guilford County Schools is being even more cautious with fall sports, prohibiting workouts by teams at its 15 high schools indefinitely.
High Point Christian is a member of the N.C. Independent Schools Association, which is allowing practices for fall sports. The NCISAA calendar permits scrimmages or games starting Sept. 8 for sports deemed “low risk,” such as cross country, girls golf and girls tennis. “Moderate risk” sports, such as field hockey, boys soccer and volleyball can begin playing games Sept. 14. Football scrimmages and games are postponed until at least Sept. 11, pending an announcement by Gov. Roy Cooper on whether the state will move from Phase Two of its reopening plan to Phase Three.
For now, NCISAA schools such as High Point Christian are preparing as if they will play games in the fall, possibly as early as September. At Friday’s voluntary practice, the enthusiasm level was high as players bantered and teased each other, and coaches on both sides of the ball engaged in some good-natured trash talk.
“Any time you have weeks and weeks of practice with no scrimmage, not even a jamboree in sight, it can get monotonous,” Bell said. “We have certain days where we’ll go hard and others where we try to keep things instructional, but still have some fun.”
The fun Friday included giving senior kicker Johnathan Medlin a couple of chances to spare the team from conditioning sprints at the end of practice. When Medlin made a 50-yard field goal, the cheers from grateful Cougars echoed across the field.
But there hasn't been much cheering this offseason for High Point Christian’s players, who weren’t able to do much in the spring.
“I just came here by myself to do drills and work on my craft and then would go home and watch film,” said senior lineman and captain Phil Couillard. “There’s really nothing else to do but stay motivated.”
It was particularly challenging for senior quarterback Luke Homol, who was trying to motivate his teammates as a captain while arranging informal workouts.
“Early in the summer when the virus was coming out, the coaches weren’t allowed on the field,” Homol said, “so I was pretty much holding practices, and it was a lot to be the quarterback and also the coach and trying to set people up. It was a lot.”
When the players were allowed to work in the school’s weight room in limited numbers to try to prevent the spread of the virus, “It was an obstacle,” Homol added, “but we were still able to get people in and out and get our strength up.
“Finally, the coaches were allowed on the field. It’s getting smooth, but it’s a little bit different.”
Couillard noticed the difference immediately, but in a positive way.
“It was the best feeling,” he said of returning to some sort of normalcy. “After all that wait, it was great being around all the guys again.”
Now the question is when High Point Christian and the rest of the NCISAA schools will be able to play games.
“If somebody asked me (what) I think the chances are of playing this fall, I’m at 50-50,” Bell said. “Before the NCHSAA’s announcement (that football was moving to the spring), it was probably 75-25 playing.”
If the NCISAA season is moved to the spring, “Football in February would be kind of weird,” Bell said.
“It’s going to be interesting,” Homol added. “We obviously want to play as soon as possible, but if it does happen it’s just another obstacle.”
Players run out for warmups before High Point Christian's football practice Friday at West End Park in High Point.
- KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH, NEWS & RECORD
Suzanne Bell (right) checks players' temperatures before football practice at High Point Christian Academy High Point, N.C., on Friday, August 14, 2020.
- KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH, NEWS & RECORD
https://greensboro.com/content/tncms/live/#3
Colby Cox (left) and his twin brother, Chase, take a break during football practice at High Point Christian Academy High Point, N.C., on Friday, August 14, 2020.
- KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH, NEWS & RECORD
https://greensboro.com/content/tncms/live/#4
Players run drills during football practice at High Point Christian Academy High Point, N.C., on Friday, August 14, 2020.
- KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH, NEWS & RECORD
https://greensboro.com/content/tncms/live/#5
Colby Cox (left) and his twin brother, Chase get a drink of water during football practice at High Point Christian Academy High Point, N.C., on Friday, August 14, 2020.
- KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH, NEWS & RECORD
HIGH POINT — In many ways it looked like just another preseason football practice in mid-August.
The High Point Christian Cougars took the field at West End Park just before 9 on a humid, overcast Friday morning. The 27 players wore their green practice jerseys and white helmets, but no pads. They went through nearly three hours of practice, including individual drills and team offensive and defensive work. They ran. They sweated. And they drank lots of water (from individual bottles).
The first clue that things were different was coach Scott Bell’s wife, Suzanne, using a digital thermometer to check players’ temperatures before they could participate.
Yes, Bell and his staff coached up the Cougars as they usually do, but another indication that things have changed was how far Bell and his assistants were from the players for much of the morning. There were no hands-on demonstrations, no in-your-face motivations.
High Point Christian is the only high school football team in Guilford County practicing, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Cougars have had to adjust.
The N.C. High School Athletic Association, which governs sports for the state’s public schools, is only allowing limited workouts at its member schools because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The NCHSAA also has pushed its football season from the fall back to the spring.
Guilford County Schools is being even more cautious with fall sports, prohibiting workouts by teams at its 15 high schools indefinitely.
High Point Christian is a member of the N.C. Independent Schools Association, which is allowing practices for fall sports. The NCISAA calendar permits scrimmages or games starting Sept. 8 for sports deemed “low risk,” such as cross country, girls golf and girls tennis. “Moderate risk” sports, such as field hockey, boys soccer and volleyball can begin playing games Sept. 14. Football scrimmages and games are postponed until at least Sept. 11, pending an announcement by Gov. Roy Cooper on whether the state will move from Phase Two of its reopening plan to Phase Three.
For now, NCISAA schools such as High Point Christian are preparing as if they will play games in the fall, possibly as early as September. At Friday’s voluntary practice, the enthusiasm level was high as players bantered and teased each other, and coaches on both sides of the ball engaged in some good-natured trash talk.
“Any time you have weeks and weeks of practice with no scrimmage, not even a jamboree in sight, it can get monotonous,” Bell said. “We have certain days where we’ll go hard and others where we try to keep things instructional, but still have some fun.”
The fun Friday included giving senior kicker Johnathan Medlin a couple of chances to spare the team from conditioning sprints at the end of practice. When Medlin made a 50-yard field goal, the cheers from grateful Cougars echoed across the field.
But there hasn't been much cheering this offseason for High Point Christian’s players, who weren’t able to do much in the spring.
“I just came here by myself to do drills and work on my craft and then would go home and watch film,” said senior lineman and captain Phil Couillard. “There’s really nothing else to do but stay motivated.”
It was particularly challenging for senior quarterback Luke Homol, who was trying to motivate his teammates as a captain while arranging informal workouts.
“Early in the summer when the virus was coming out, the coaches weren’t allowed on the field,” Homol said, “so I was pretty much holding practices, and it was a lot to be the quarterback and also the coach and trying to set people up. It was a lot.”
When the players were allowed to work in the school’s weight room in limited numbers to try to prevent the spread of the virus, “It was an obstacle,” Homol added, “but we were still able to get people in and out and get our strength up.
“Finally, the coaches were allowed on the field. It’s getting smooth, but it’s a little bit different.”
Couillard noticed the difference immediately, but in a positive way.
“It was the best feeling,” he said of returning to some sort of normalcy. “After all that wait, it was great being around all the guys again.”
Now the question is when High Point Christian and the rest of the NCISAA schools will be able to play games.
“If somebody asked me (what) I think the chances are of playing this fall, I’m at 50-50,” Bell said. “Before the NCHSAA’s announcement (that football was moving to the spring), it was probably 75-25 playing.”
If the NCISAA season is moved to the spring, “Football in February would be kind of weird,” Bell said.
“It’s going to be interesting,” Homol added. “We obviously want to play as soon as possible, but if it does happen it’s just another obstacle.”
