In 2020, there’s no such thing as a sure thing. For a few weeks, Big Ten football was canceled. There was no guarantee high school football would be played this year. However, the IHSAA and the individual high schools worked hard on safety protocols to make everything work. And it did, in fact, work.

The high school season started as scheduled, on August 24^th. But as we prepare for sectional play upcoming, not every team’s seasons went without a hitch. Bloomington North missed a game against New Albany because of a COVID positive. Bloomington South has missed its last two games because of COVID positives. But in the grand scheme of things, the fact that the high schools were able to play while Indiana University sat and watched.

“Every opportunity is special,” Bloomington Head Coach Scott Bless said.

A lot of extra responsibility was placed on the players to make sure their seasons happened. The normal team building opportunities, like team meals, banquets, meetings, hangouts, are no more. Instead, it’s get in and get out as soon as possible with as little contact with others as possible. It’s more than just on the field and in the locker room. The players have to make sure they’re safe and smart when at home or hanging out with others during their off time.

“It’s so hard,” Bloomington North Athletic Director Andrew Hodson said. “You’re trying to get these kids together, and play as a team, be together, the comradery, but then stay apart.”

Everyone has been forced to be extra patient during 2020, and that includes the parents and non-participating students at Bloomington North. Because of the safety protocols instituted by Monroe County, the number of fans in the stands has been heavily limited. On a normal Friday night, students plan their evenings around the home football games and their tailgating plans. However, in 2020, most of those students aren’t allowed into the stadium.

The new protocols allow 150 fans per section of bleachers. That means the away side, one set, can seat up to 150 fans. The home side, two sets, can sit 300. The only people allowed in the game are people with pre-sale tickets. No tickets are sold at the gates. That usually limits it to family members of the players and coaches, which leaves a lot of high school students out of it.

“It’s been tough too, because I know there have been a lot of people that have been left out of that process,” Bless said. “It’s tough that we don’t have our normal student section… You look back on Friday nights, that’s supposed to be a fun part of your high school time.”

Fans are required to wear masks at all times while in the stands, but that hasn’t limited the amount of cow bells you’ll hear at a Cougars football game.

The student athletes deserve a lot of credit for making this season happen. 9 weeks of almost uninterrupted football is something no one would have thought could be possible a few months ago. There will certainly be financial problems for the schools due to the lack of fans, but the players and coaches are ecstatic just to be playing football. They’ll work out the rest later.

“We’ve talked all along about, we’ve two goals,” Bless said. “One is keeping our players and their families safe, and the second goal is getting to play the game that we love.”

Bloomington North is coming off of a dominating season ending victory over Southport on October 16. They will start postseason play Friday, October 30 against Evansville North.