With weeks of uncertainty and speculation on the possibility of a season for the St. Louis U. High football team, the rumors have been cleared and a game with St. Marys has been scheduled for 7:00 p.m. this Friday.
“I’m just excited to get to be back out on the field,” said senior  John Budd. “We’ve been quarantining and it’s going to be nice to be able to get out and play.”
     Rumors and speculations on the probability of a season have been circulating around the team for the past few months, and the schedule has changed on a week to week basis. The team has been practicing for weeks, hoping that they would have a season. 
    “I’m excited to finally be on the field after all the restrictions and guidelines we’ve had to follow,” said senior wide receiver Jack McClelland. “I’ll be relieved to be able to be back and playing football again.”
The team has been looking to make some changes on both sides of the ball and on Friday they will be able to test their new additions on a real opposing team.
“I’m looking forward to getting this new offense going,” said senior Zack Stevenson. “We’ve been working really hard and we have a lot of good guys coming back; I’m excited to see how it works going against some new bodies.”
While the team has a game scheduled for Friday, there are still precautions that must be taken. Only two spectators from the same household are allowed per player, and coaches are required to wear a mask while on the sideline. All the players are being COVID-tested prior to the game and should anything go wrong the game will be called off.
“Safe in the stands will be improved by the spectators wearing masks and adhering to the six-foot physical distancing guideline,” said Athletic Director Chris Muskopf. “On the field, the focus for safety will be on the players occupying the sideline, who have to remain physically distanced and wear masks.”
Along with the safety that is controlled by the people who are participating and attending the football games, the field policy has been modified to better suit the regulations that cover physical distancing. 
“The sideline for players has been extended from the 10-yard line to the 10-yard line in order to support the distancing,” said Muskopf. 
On the offensive side of the ball, the team is looking to put the ball in the air a bit more. With some key offensive playmakers taking the field this year, the team has the advantage with the ball in the air. A very important and versatile wide receiver who comes into this year after recovering from a season-ending injury last year is junior Chris Brooks. With his return to the offense, SLUH will have a tall and fast receiver (the other being junior Isaac Thompson) on each side of the field.
 While the team is better suited for passing, they are prepared to run the ball should St. Mary’s defense stay deep and look for the pass.
“We have a lot of good guys coming back, this offense compliments everyone and I’m excited to see it on Friday,” said Stevenson. “We should be coming out in our passing offense and see how (St. Mary’s) defense adjusts.”
“I’m really excited about what this team is capable of this year,” said McClelland. “I think we have a great chance to make a deep playoff run, and St. Mary’s is the start.”
The team thinks its depth with be a strength.. 
“We have more guys this year,” said junior Kylend Watson. “We can rotate in and out a lot of good receivers to catch the ball.”
As far as defense goes, the game plan is similar to last year with the simple objective of eliminating missed tackles. The defense has been prepping with Zoom calls and live practice since June, which should speak for itself on the field. The relatively new players know the plays will and call them effectively. 
“(The defense) is mostly doing the same thing,” said Budd. “We definitely want to stop the run and have nobody behind us.” 
The D-line has been reviewing film and analyzing St. Mary’s, looking for tendencies within the team that could give them an edge during the course of the game.
“We learn to look at the O-line’s feet and shoulders to determine which way the play is going,” said Watson. “St. Mary’s line is more basic and allows us to pick up on their tendency easier and see what they are doing.”
With the much-anticipated season now a reality, both coaches and players are excited and ready to get back on the field. 
“It feels pretty surreal to be back after five months of preparation,” said senior tight end Luke Ratterman. “We have been working so hard and I am excited to see this team play together.”

Photo | Jack Rybak