La Salle College High School Football Team Trying To Salvage Season As They Search For Opponents Among Pandemic
WYNDMOOR, Pa. (CBS) - COVID concerns have sidelined many local athletic teams, including those in the Philadelphia Catholic League. But one football team is still trying to salvage their season. La Salle College High School is a member of the league but is not an archdiocesan school. CBS3's Dan Koob shows us how "The Explorers" are managing football and the pandemic.
"I feel so weird. I think about in the past predicting that we will have to wear masks everywhere we go and eventually have our season maybe canceled," senior defensive end Paul Jennings said.
La Salle College High School is making a pass at a football season.
"It's so much... I have a checklist now to make sure I do everything before I walk out the door to go to practice to make sure I can go to practice!" senior corner Jalen Hanson said.
The school has installed several health checks including a daily survey for players to take every morning, asking questions like, do you have a sore throat? A cough or shortness of breath?
"We're doing everything we can to keep safe and keep playing," Jennings said.
Masks must be worn before and after practice and temperatures are taken before buckling up. Helmets and shoulder pads are fogged and sanitized twice a day too.
The school says the football team has had zero positive COVID-19 tests. But now The Explorers are seeking out like-minded teams, they currently have zero opponents on their schedule.
"We've had a bunch of good conversations with some teams that look like they're gonna play," head football coach John Steinmetz said. "I am hoping to get a couple final decisions either this week or next week."
La Salle is going to do everything they can to play football games. Coach John Steinmetz says they're hoping to play between four and six games this season but talk to any of the players and they say they'll take what they can get.
"I'm just hoping that it doesn't come to that. I'm really open to two games, three games, anything, I can take it," Hanson said.
"Play calls" and "spread outs" are the most common phrases as LaSalle tries to navigate its way to a season.
"At this point, I don't feel like this is a fool's errand. There are schools out there that looks like they're going to play, it looks like they're gonna have availability, looks like they're going to play us." Steinmetz said. "So we're gonna keep grinding it out until we find out that we can."
