Sprints at the end of South Hadley’s first football practice of the season Friday made senior running back Jack Haber throw up.
The grin on his face remained.
“I missed last year and it sucked. Coming back right into it kind of like a normal season feels great. I love being back with my teammates,” Haber said. “Can’t stop smiling being out here. I just love it.”
Friday marked the beginning of the fall high school sports season in Western Massachusetts, the first “normal” season in more than a year. In 2020, football teams were only allowed to practice in the fall and played a truncated “Fall II” season in the spring between winter and spring sports. That ended April 25, less than four months ago.
“It feels weird. It feels like it was quick, but in reality we’re in a weird situation. We’re trying to put Fall II behind us. We referenced it once this morning, but then we quickly moved on,” South Hadley coach Scott Taylor said. “We’re taking it a little slower than normal. It’s trying to get the kids back into the rhythm of football, back into the expectations of football.”
Northampton junior Wes Parent appreciated the quicker turnaround. He said it’s helped the Blue Devils stay mentally sharp.
“You remember the (Fall II) season like it was yesterday, but think that will have some positives,” he said. “We’ll be able to build, and it keeps our minds fresher.”
Fall II featured modifications like masks, the prohibition of huddles and required distancing on the sidelines. They aren’t in place this fall. There was also no postseason or championships awarded.
“That whole COVID season it’s kind of like when you work in a dairy farm it’s hard to get that smell off, you know what I mean?” he said.
Teams are still wearing masks inside the schools, during meetings and in the weight room. But outside practice looks like normal football.
“It’s so great to be outside on a normal situation without wearing masks on the turf. Everybody’s healthy. There’s a lot of energy,” said Holyoke coach Joe Dutsar, who has coached in the city since 1986. “It’s refreshing to be able to play in this environment.”
Kocot still wore a mask while orchestrating practice because he’s unsure of the team’s vaccination level. Everyone over the age of 12 is eligible to receive a COVID vaccine.
“With HIPPA you’ve got to be real careful,” he said. “You can’t go up to a kid and say ‘how many of you got vaccinated?’ All the ones who didn’t wear a mask you’re putting them on a pedestal in a negative way. That’s why I’m wearing this, I’m sure we don’t have 100 percent vaccination. One kid I’m talking to I don’t know if he’s been vaccinated.”
Taylor said some players have told him they’re vaccinated, but he thinks it will only come up if the team has a positive test. He said the quarantine requirements are different for those fully vaccinated vs. unvaccinated.
“It’s one of those thing we’re not really in control of, per say, we’re just trying to do everything we can to mitigate it,” Taylor said.
Some coaches are concerned the recent uptick in COVID cases could jeopardize the normalcy of the season with the circulation of the delta variant.
“It’s in the back of my mind for sure,” Dutsar said. “Am I going to panic over it? No, because I can’t control it. And I don’t worry about things I can’t control.”
Parent said he’d be open to wearing masks during games if necessary but hopes it doesn’t come to that.
“As long as we get to play,” he said.
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.