Spring fever has long been a staple of high school existence.
Spring football, however, could find its way into the state’s prep vernacular if a formal proposal to the Colorado High School Activities Association garners enough support in time for a Jan. 25 vote.
Spearheaded by Arvada West coach Casey Coons, the proposal would allow coaches to run 12 days of spring football practice, nine of which would include full contact.
The 12 days would have to be completed between May 15 and June 15.
Under the current proposal, athletes competing in spring sports such as baseball and track would not be allowed to participate in the football practices until their seasons were over, which could run into late May. There is also a stipulation for football teams to hold one spring scrimmage.
Coons said he doesn’t expect the measure to pass next month, but he believes it will in future votes as more school administrators and coaches weigh the financial and competitive benefits.
Those supporting the proposal believe allowing schools to hold spring camps gives them more time to work on fundamentals with younger players, install new schemes (especially new coaching staffs), give players more exposure for interested college coaches and defer the costs of attending out-of-state contact camps, which have become increasingly popular.
Coons also believes it is safer for kids to gradually work into full contact drills rather than start hitting on the first day at a contact camp.
Skyline coach Travis Lease said he loves the idea and that it is “absolutely necessary” to work on footwork and tackling. Lease coached last season in Florida at Palm Beach Gardens High School, where football coaches get 19 practice days and a game in May.
“If I had had that coming into this year we might have won three or four more games, because it took us six games to figure out who our best players were,” Lease said.
Limon coach Mike O’Dwyer said he likes the idea but can’t help worrying about the demand it places on multisport athletes at smaller schools. Those smaller schools, O’Dwyer said, probably will feel obligated to hold spring practices if the proposal passes.
“At a small school we ask so much of our kids to not only be football players but basketball, wrestling, track and baseball,” O’Dwyer said. “I think sometime kids need to get away from it so when they come back they’re more excited. I’m kind of caught in a Catch-22.”
According to assistant commissioner Bert Borgmann, the CHSAA has not, and probably won’t, take a formal stance on the proposal.
“I think this is one where we put it out to the members and see how they respond to it,” he said.
The CHSAA’s board of control, which is the group’s legislative body and comprised of 66 members, will vote on the proposal.
