Are you ready? For high school football … Colin Likas and Scott Richey tackled topics that are on folks’ minds — locally and statewide — as everyone waits to see if the 2020 season goes on as scheduled.

1. What would it be like to play with limited or no fan attendance?

It’s not something any high school football player wants to think about. Not something many of them can even picture without actually seeing it.

No fans being in attendance for a game.

It’s a foreign concept for an activity that draws out even the most casual sports viewers across east central Illinois on fall Friday nights.

Yet it may become a common sight in 2020, depending on how the IHSA, state departments and the office of Governor J.B. Pritzker approach the playing of prep football during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

University of Illinois officials on Wednesday announced that Illini football games at Memorial Stadium this year will feature the famed facility being filled to just 20 percent of its capacity.

So who’s to say IHSA contests won’t experience something similar. Or perhaps a guideline even more firm: the aforementioned prevention of fans altogether as a pandemic safety measure.

“I can’t really imagine what games are going to be like with limited fans because a lot of the times the fans bring the energy that fuels the game,” Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley senior Isaiah Chatman said. “It will definitely be a different environment to play in, but that’s something we can overcome.

“It would be a big change, but I think most of my teammates and I would just be happy to have our season even if fans are limited.”

Some local footballers who offered their thoughts on this topic to The News-Gazette spoke with an expectation or anticipation that such fan restriction will occur.

“Football games with no fans will be super weird,” St. Thomas More senior Averi Hughes said. “I have a feeling it will be like another day of practice, except against another team.

“I believe not having fans will make it harder to get my adrenaline going. Playing sports in general this year will be weird as sports are things that are supposed to bring people together.”

Even if they were on a field that only featured the shouts of players, coaches and referees, numerous athletes said their love for football wouldn’t be diminished if fans weren’t permitted to attend games in person this year.

“Football without fans would stink, no doubt about that,” Watseka senior Drew Wittenborn said. “Fans help us a lot, especially at home. … (But) I would play football with or without the fans.”

“I can’t imagine it,” Oakwood junior Gaven Clouse added. “It would be pretty weird. I would still want to play even if there isn’t fans, but it does take away from the game.”

“It definitely affects the atmosphere,” Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond sophomore Kaden Feagin chipped in, “but it does not affect the way I feel playing the game.”

Schlarman senior Rance Bryant, whose school started an Illinois 8-Man Association team last year, said he’s heard rumors of Hilltoppers fans being willing to go to great lengths to get some sort of gameday experience.

“I’ve talked to some of my friends, parents and family members, and they said they’re going to try their hardest to park alongside the field or try what they can,” Bryant said. “I’ve even heard people say they’ll pay people who live by the field to park (at their houses) and watch.”

While thoughts on a lack of fan involvement in games vary slightly among those who spoke to The News-Gazette, there was a straightforward consensus that community members would not be thrilled if told to stay away from Friday night football.

“Our community is very involved in our sports programs — especially football games,” Chatman said, “and I think there are some fans who probably haven’t missed a game in years. So I think it will be pretty upsetting for the community if fans are limited or prohibited from the games.”

“I don’t think they will like it,” Clouse added. “We have a lot of family and community members that really want to be there. Hopefully the school gets (NFHS-offered) cameras and they can watch from home.”

“My community would be sad,” Hughes said, “but definitely understand why they cannot attend said games as it’ll lead to a better, wholesome, healthy future.”

Even though there is some chatter among players about what prep football during the pandemic could look like, those who chatted with The News-Gazette said they’re doing what they can to focus strictly on getting ready for the 2020 season.

No matter how it might look.

“It can be hard some days because nobody really knows what the future is going to look like,” Salt Fork senior Tate Johnson said, “and everyone is putting in a lot of effort for a season that may not even happen. But we all are going on a leap of faith in hope we get a season.”

“We have our word, which is ‘ONE,’” Wittenborn added. “It has two meanings. One is we are together and we fight together, but the other one is much better, especially for what’s going on, and that is ‘Only Now Exists.’ We can only control what exists now and not what’s in our future.”

COLIN LIKAS

2. Which Champaign County team might improve the most?

Jon Adkins’ first season as Mahomet-Seymour’s football coach didn’t exactly start on the highest note. The Bulldogs lost their first two games and then five of their first six. Marion as their nonconference opener and an Apollo Conference slate that included Effingham and Mt. Zion (eventual double-digit win teams) did them no favors.

A three-game win streak to end the 2019 season, players returning at key positions like quarterback Braden Finch and running back Clay Hubble and a group of sophomores that went 9-1 as freshmen has Adkins feeling positive about where his team is headed in Year 2.

“We don’t have to start at square one and build the foundation,” Adkins said. “We can make what we had last year and that groundwork that we laid and continue to build on top of it. We like the situation we’re going to be in this year.”

The COVID-19 pandemic, of course, introduced some unexpected wrinkles when it came to prepping for the 2020 season. The offseason work the Bulldogs put in before the sports world crashed to a halt in March, though, has them in a solid place as football-specific workouts returned this month.

“I think before the pandemic hit we had an incredible offseason in the weight room,” Adkins said. “That’s something I wasn’t able to be here for or be a part of last year coming in and starting in June and getting other things established first. Our speed numbers increased tremendously as well as our strength numbers. The hard work and attendance and effort these kids put in the offseason before the pandemic hit got us all happy and excited for this coming year.”

Adkins has also been pleased with how his team has handled the restrictions in place because of the pandemic, including a recent rollback of some activities in Phase 4 of the IHSA’s “Return To Play” process. The Bulldogs have avoided getting frustrated or upset and instead embraced what they are permitted to do.

“We had some great offseason Zoom meetings and were able to build off an install and put some new things in and different things in,” Adkins said. “Keeping the kids engaged throughout the entire pandemic was huge to, No. 1, see their smiling faces and then just to be able to talk to them. You need to be able to talk to somebody.

“That certainly led us to where we’re at now and out on the field and doing what they allow us to do. We’re definitely hopeful for a season, and that’s kind of how we’re approaching things. Not one time have we said, ‘Let’s not do this because there might not be a season.’”

Last year’s finish has instilled some confidence in Mahomet-Seymour. So has the simple fact the players are comfortable with Adkins and his coaching staff, and he knows his team better. Finishing the back end of the 2020 season with an improvement on last year’s 4-5 finish, though, still won’t be easy.

Nonconference games at Marion and at Bloomington bookend the Bulldogs’ Apollo slate, with a third nonconference game also scheduled against Macomb.

“We know we’ve got a tough schedule,” Adkins said. “There’s no way around that. The Apollo’s tough in itself, and the two nonconference games with Marion and Bloomington aren’t going to be easy. We’re going to have to show up. We’re ready and prepared for that.

“I think the kids saw that last year. We had one at Taylorville we felt like we let slip away. Our kids now know you’ve got to come to play every week in this league.”

SCOTT RICHEY

3. What’s happening with the state championships in Champaign?

Thanksgiving weekend will mark the return of the IHSA state football championships to Champaign and Memorial Stadium. That’s the plan at least.

Fall sports in general remain in limbo in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, but both the University of Illinois and Visit Champaign County are preparing like those eight title games will happen.

“Really hasn’t been much discussion internally about that yet since we’re focused on the Illini and Big Ten schedules,” Illinois sports information director Kent Brown said. “Just like everything, we will continue working and planning on hosting those games until someone says stop.”

The IHSA reached out to major host venues approximately one month ago. The intent was to gauge interest in those venues still hosting their respective events even if crowd size is limited or fans are withheld entirely.

The answer from Visit Champaign County, which successfully landed the IHSA boys’ basketball championships last month, was in the affirmative.

“Our intention is if they have the state finals that we’re still interested in hosting it no matter what the limitations are,” said Mike Koon, director of sports, event and film for Visit Champaign County. “We pride ourselves in being the home to the state football championships. Obviously, this is a much different year. We’re a good partner to the IHSA, and we felt that regardless if fans are allowed or what that looks like in November we see the value in still being able to host the state championships.”

The state football championships actually happening is important to the Champaign-Urbana community. The two-day event with four title games on Friday and four Saturday has an economic impact of approximately $1.2 million thanks to the estimated 25,000 people brought to the area by the championships.

Visit Champaign County spearheads two key components of a typical football championship weekend in Champaign. Koon said the volunteer hosts assigned to each team for the duration of their stay in town could be even more important this year given potential extra needs, while the Tent City set up outside Memorial Stadium might not even happen given the fact tailgating is banned for Illinois football games.

“Things can change between July and November, but that would be something that may not occur this year that would normally occur,” Koon said. “We’ve got some time to try to figure that out.”

Being able to adjust on the fly to the changing nature of the protocols and procedures necessitated by the pandemic is important. Visit Champaign County already has had to deal with the cancellation of multiple events it participates in, including the Illinois Marathon.

“Until things are actually canceled, we’re full steam ahead with the anticipation they’re going to happen, knowing with all likelihood it’s not going to look the same as in a normal year,” Koon said. “We’re being as nimble as the IHSA. We’ll work closely with them to figure out what the needs are and be ready when we find out exactly the way things are going to be.”

SCOTT RICHEY

4. Which area team has the best chance at a deep playoff run?

FAIRBURY — Andrew Quain’s 2019 Prairie Central football outfit was one of the last three standing among local programs.

The Hawks joined Arcola and Paxton-Buckley-Loda in qualifying for an IHSA postseason bracket’s quarterfinal round, making it that far in the Class 4A field.

Nine victories against just three losses is a pretty good starting point for a first-year coach, which Quain was at Prairie Central last year.

So Quain’s roster must’ve been flush with upperclassmen. Kids he’ll now miss and need to replace in 2020 as the Hawks fight to get back to their previous level.

Actually, Quain finds himself in the exact opposite position.

“You don’t see those returning numbers unless you’re talking about a rebuilding team,” Quain said. “You don’t usually see a quarterfinal team return that many starters.”

The numbers: eight returning starters on offense, 10 returning starters on defense. Prairie Central achieved what it did last year largely on the backs of strong juniors and sophomores.

Sure, the loss of a guy like running back/defensive back Corbin Moser is one for which Quain will have to account. But with so many known commodities returning, the Hawks are primed to be even better than they were the campaign prior.

“The kids’ goal last year was to play a home playoff game, and I’m not going to beat around the bush: The kids have a goal (this year) of making it to and playing in the state finals,” Quain said. “We’re talking about preparing for 14 games.”

This, of course, assumes a normal IHSA football season happens at all during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Quain also is facing another outside issue these days. His team’s pads, manufactured by Riddell, still have not been delivered because of pandemic complications.

“Under normal circumstances, our equipment comes in May,” Quain said. “I don’t know where our pads are. I think they’re somewhere in Ohio.

“We’re in a position where we can’t do physical contact (because of IHSA restrictions), but there’s still some benefit of wearing a helmet and shoulder pads during conditioning and being used to having them on.”

If that’s the biggest roadblock the Hawks face this year, though, they very well could accomplish their goal of playing inside the University of Illinois’ Memorial Stadium this November.

Prairie Central’s 2019 squad was built upon a high-octane offense. Only Illini Prairie Conference rivals Unity and Chillicothe IVC — who combined to post a 19-3 record — held the Hawks to single-digit points, with the Rockets pitching a Week 3 shutout.

That blanking actually did a great deal of good for Prairie Central’s future prospects, according to Quain.

“After the Unity loss, we stressed this desire to improve every week,” Quain said. “We watched the Unity film and just saw a lot of errors … we could clean up.”

Suffering a pair of defeats in east central Illinois also meant the Hawks weren’t going to boast the most impressive postseason seed. Such was the case when they received a No. 10 rating in the 4A bracket’s southern half.

“I think we were better than our seed, definitely,” Quain said. “When we’re doing things right, we really dictate how the game goes. We talked about how much fun there is in playing that style. … That’s how they played against Columbia in the playoffs last year as well. They were really able to control things and have a lot of fun doing it.”

Knocking off second-seeded and then-undefeated Columbia by a 28-22 margin in the 4A second round served as the Hawks’ final success last year. A 27-14 loss to third-seeded Effingham followed and got Prairie Central’s kids thinking about what might lie ahead.

Part of that is a strong sense of familiarity.

“It’s nice to know what we have,” Quain said. “We don’t feel the need to go super hard this summer just because of the experience. And the IHSA has dropped that dead week, allowed us to do stuff that first week of August. We’ve decided as a staff it’s important for us to take that week off like we normally would, make sure we have good legs coming back for that first week so we can hit it hard.”

Strong legs won’t be hard to find in the Hawks’ backfield, with Prairie Central’s top three rushers all still in the fold.

Dual-threat senior quarterback Kaden King, who also tossed for 450 yards and four touchdowns, paced the team’s runners with 1,204 yards and 17 scores. Not far behind were senior Connor Casner (929 yards, 14 touchdowns) and senior Dailen Loveless (735 yards, seven touchdowns).

Senior Jacob Niffen, according to Quain, is expected to fill the void left by Moser as the Hawks’ No. 4 running back.

“I really believe in having an attack where all four of our running backs — including our quarterback as a running back — all four can have the ability to run each play,” Quain said, “and if we have to put in someone who’s maybe a lesser quality of a running back, we have the ability to disperse the ball.”

Quain said Moser also was the team’s best blocking rusher, meaning both the returning backs and offensive line will be asked to take on a bit more responsibility this year. A fresher face to the latter group is senior Tyler Ifft, whom Quain said was coming on strong enough down the stretch in 2019 that he might’ve started had the Hawks qualified for the 4A semifinals.

“It’s going to be a huge focus for us,” Quain said. “Once that happens, the skill and speed is there. You always want to emphasize ball security. Ball control’s been important for us. We’ve been trying to do more ball-handling drills now.”

Moser is the biggest loss on the defensive side of the ball as well, Quain said. Niffen again will be looked to as the replacement for Moser, while Quain said he anticipates senior middle linebacker Cooper Palmore making a big impact in his last prep go-round.

“He’s the guy who makes our calls on the defense, and he’s had another great offseason,” Quain said. “He’s just come back with such a great maturity level, and just his leadership is really standout right now.”

Of course, it also doesn’t hurt to deploy two-way players like defending News-Gazette All-Area first-team defensive lineman Josh Woodrey and two-time state wrestling champion Brandon Hoseslton, another couple of seniors.

What Quain possesses is the definition of a loaded roster. He knows it.

Now his kids will wait for the opportunity to play. Whenever action begins, Quain aims to let his kids know a loss in the uber-competitive IPC won’t make or break the Hawks’ season. They’re focused on more than a league title, anyway.

“We’re excited to play whenever they give us the green light,” Quain said. “We’ll be ready, and I think I feel confident in saying that because of our senior class and how many guys are returning. I feel confident we can go at any time, and these kids will rise to the challenge.”

COLIN LIKAS

5. Can Devin Miles retain All-Area Player of the Year status?

DANVILLE — It’s only natural that Marcus Forrest believes Devin Miles’ senior season can be a big one.

Forrest is Miles’ head football coach at Danville. And Forrest got to witness firsthand last year just how dominant Miles could be — dominant enough to garner News-Gazette All-Area Player of the Year status.

“His drive and his work ethic, it’s really progressed over the past few months,” Forrest said, “and he’s really excited about not only being where he was, but improving and showing growth and improvement.”

But Miles is piquing interest beyond Vermilion County as well. And not just from college programs at Western Illinois, Illinois State, Robert Morris and Roosevelt University — all of which, Forrest said, have offered Miles a roster spot.

Also intrigued is Tim O’Halloran, better known across the state as EdgyTim.

The man who’s covered IHSA football since 1995 tweets regularly about athletes he expects big things from. Miles received such a shoutout Wednesday.

“Danville RB @Lil_Devo5 is truly a sleeper in my eyes,” O’Halloran tweeted, referring to Miles’ Twitter handle. “Miles has big time speed and no question should benefit from senior year video this fall.”

Considering most of O’Halloran Twitter feed is filled with mentions about kids in the state’s northern portion, it’s fair to say Miles getting his name called is a significant deal.

“I heard about him two years ago from some people down that way,” O’Halloran said. “They didn’t want to go to the Trent Sherfield comparison, but (they said) he’s kind of a really good athlete, a multi-sport kid and definitely a kid to keep an eye on.”

Sherfield is a Danville product now playing receiver for the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals. Perhaps it’s fitting, then, that Forrest plans to utilize Miles in more of a slot receiver role on his 2020 Vikings offense.

Miles was a terror to opponents out of the backfield last year, galloping for 1,726 yards and 26 touchdowns en route to scoring an area-leading 192 points.

“We ran the ball 89 percent of the time last year. There was not much of a guess what we were doing,” Forrest said. “Sixty-nine percent of the time it was going to him, no question. (In 2020) 69 percent of the time it’s going in his hands also.”

Adding a pass-catching element to Miles’ game, through work with returning starting quarterback Eric Turner Jr., should frustrate Danville’s foes that much more — because it gives Miles another way to move the ball upfield.

Combine that with Miles’ penchant for kickoff and punt touchdown returns, and it’s evident he’ll be a significant part of any offensive success the Vikings experience.

That said, Forrest isn’t looking for the exact same performance out of Miles that the 5-foot-11, 185-pound athlete put forth last season.

“One of the things we talk about is getting better reading blocks, setting blocks, how to read a defense,” Forrest said. “A lot of things he may have done and was doing were based off of reaction. Now we’re trying to get him to be more proactive and understanding the concepts of plays we run.

“He can get in a small space and react — get spun around and keep his balance and do a great job. But now you’re thinking through something and getting in the flow, getting to where you want to go.”

How Miles navigates around on the gridiron also could change, and not merely by adding a receiving role to his resume.

“He’s also getting to the point where he can run more powerfully behind his pads also,” Forrest said. “His bench and squat were starting to improve once we got in.”

Then there’s Forrest’s planned approach to his run game. He’ll feed Miles the ball plenty, no doubt. But he also hopes to weave Turner, junior Anthony Gouard and sophomores Tommy Harris, Jamarion Clark and Antuan Lee into the backfield mix.

“One of the things we explained to him already was you won’t have as many carries as you had last year … but the carries you have, you have to take advantage of,” Forrest said. “Now you don’t have to save yourself. Every run you have, you think through it and think what we’re trying to accomplish with that type of run and make it work from there.”

When Miles is handed the ball, O’Halloran knows what college coaches are going to be looking at and impressed with.

“I think speed automatically,” O’Halloran said. “He’s got a real burst and gets up to speed quickly. He seems to have multiple gears when he gets going.

“Physically, he can do a lot of different things. I can see him at running back. I can see him as a slot guy as well. I don’t know how much defense he played, but I can see him dropping back in the secondary.”

Good news: Miles played free safety for last season’s Vikings as well.

Miles has plenty working in his favor as he tries to secure a college football home. In case he needed any additional motivation, Forrest and his staff are combing through the Danville record book to see if Miles might be able to top any single-season or career lists before his senior year is finished.

And Miles is showing the mindset required for someone trying to dazzle college coaches — and someone attempting to repeat as All-Area Player of the Year.

“One of the things I’ve been really impressed with is his maturity,” Forrest said. “Last weekend he told the kids, ‘Hey, I’m going to work out at say 2 o’clock,’ and they said OK. Then they said, ‘I can’t be there until 4,” and he said, “Well you’re going to be there at 2 or you’re not.’

“That’s something he wouldn’t have done (before). He might’ve been the kid who came at 4 or 5.”

COLIN LIKAS

6. Who’s the frontrunner for All-State Player of the Year honors?

J.J. McCarthy was the runaway winner in 2019. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound quarterback helped Nazareth Academy reach the Class 7A state championship game for the second straight season. The Roadrunners might have lost to Mt. Carmel, but McCarthy still threw for more than 2,800 yards and 30 touchdowns.

A shoe-in for a repeat News-Gazette All-State Player of the Year honor, right? Sure, if McCarthy were eligible. The four-star Michigan commit announced his transfer to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., in May and left the door wide open for a new player of the year winner.

But who?

“It could be two juniors,” longtime recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said.

Lemming is high on St. Rita wide receiver Kaleb Brown and Nazareth Academy wide receiver Tyler Morris (even without McCarthy throwing him the ball).

“They’re explosive, athletic,” Lemming said. “They’re game changers on offense. Brown in particular as a running back/wingback/wide receiver. He can do it all. … Both of them are relatively small for their positions, but they’re just super explosive.”

With McCarthy now in Florida, the top spot in the 247Sports ranking for Illinois belongs to New Trier’s David Davidkov. The 6-6, 295-pound offensive lineman is committed to Iowa.

“We feel pretty secure in having him as the No. 1 guy with J.J. down at IMG,” 247Sports midwest analyst Allen Trieu said. “There’s not like there’s a really, really close No. 2 that’s on his heels. He came from the background of playing some other sports. He was a rugby player. He’s not just a big guy. He’s got some athleticism, and he plays that way on film.

“He’s kind of you typical offensive lineman. There’s maybe not a lot of flash there, but a very hard worker and plays very hard. And he’s going to be in a place in Iowa that, quite frankly, has developed less talented guys than him into NFL players.”

Downstate Illinois could have its own All-State Player of the Year candidate. Or candidates. Reigning Class 6A state champion East St. Louis boasts multiple contenders in quarterback Tyler Macon (Missouri) and wide receivers Dominic Lovett (still available) and Keontez Lewis (UCLA). Macon would lead the way.

“They won the state title because of him,” Lemming said of Macon. “He was just sensational. He’s a guy that I think could be a big-time quarterback in college and surpass a lot of people and be one of the more explosive players nationally.”

Macon opened some eyes at the Elite 11 Finals in Nashville, Tenn., in early July. His performance earned the 6-foot, 200-pound quarterback his fourth star from 247Sports and narrowed the gap on Antioch’s Athan Kaliakmanis — a Minnesota commit who missed all of 2019 with an injury — as the top quarterback in the class with McCarthy in Florida.

“In terms of his height and measurables he isn’t your prototypical guy, but I think he’s clearly shown he’s got the tools to make up for that,” Trieu said.

SCOTT RICHEY

7. Are any athletes considering playing outside their schools?

MONTICELLO — Chris Brown didn’t want to consider leaving Monticello in order to have a 2020 high school football season.

But back in May, the fleet-of-foot running back and cornerback legitimately believed he could be suiting up for games outside of Illinois.

There’s a two-pronged reason. The first part was the IHSA’s cancellation of its 2020 spring sports state series, leaving Brown to wonder if 2020 fall sports — the fate of which are currently unknown — might experience a similar fate.

The second part is Brown’s cousin having a brother-in-law who coaches with the King’s Academy football team in West Palm Beach, Fla. And Brown said he’d be extended an offer to play there if things didn’t work out in Illinois.

“I didn’t want to not be able to do football,” said the 5-foot-8, 160-pound athlete who received News-Gazette All-Area second-team honors last year. “That was just an idea I can do, which it could’ve happened. But I’m just waiting right now.”

Brown has been practicing with coach Cully Welter’s Sages as he has in previous offseasons. Fall football is an uncertainty across the nation this point, with 12 states (as of Friday afternoon) opting to at least delay the start of their respective 2020 campaigns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Neither Illinois or Florida are among them at this point, but the uncertainty has made it easier for Brown to remain with the Sages.

“My parents are still questionable if we’re even going to have sports this season,” Brown said, “… so I’m not sure what’s going on.”

Brown projects to play a significant role on Welter’s latest unit. Brown’s 1,326 rushing yards last season ranked ninth in the area, and he hauled in another 266 yards’ worth of passes for three touchdowns to go with his 11 running scores.

“I feel great because I’m still with my friends that I’ve known since middle school and grade school,” Brown said. “And all the seniors plus me, we all are super close.”

Brown also is good friends with Terren Burton, a senior footballer at Centennial.

How does Burton fit into Brown’s story about a possible school change? Well, Burton is considering one himself — to join Brown at Monticello.

“I’ve been talking to my parents about it, but I haven’t made my mind up,” said Burton, younger brother of 2019 Chargers graduate and current University of Indianapolis football player Tyson Burton. “It’s mainly schooling for me. Centennial is going into a weirder schedule where I’ll probably only have like 12 hours in school at Centennial. For me to get ready for college, I’ll need to get more than that.”

The two have known one another since sixth grade, forming a bond through track and field competition.

“Ever since freshman year, when he came to the Monticello (Fourth of July) fireworks and we hung out, I brought up, ‘You should move to Monticello,’” Brown said. “Now he’s kind of got an opportunity to do it.”

Both Brown and Terren Burton, a Chargers wide receiver who caught 11 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns last season, are focused not only upon making their last prep campaigns the best but also wooing potential college football suitors.

To that point, they’re spending this weekend at a camp hosted by the University of Central Missouri. It’s not Burton’s first such experience this year, previously stopping by a camp hosted by the likes of McKendree, Marian and the University of Indianapolis.

When Burton received an email about the Central Missouri camp, he knew of someone who might also benefit from such an activity.

“Chris and I have been hanging out a lot lately, and I know he’s big in football,” Burton said. “I said, ‘You want to come with?’ And he decided to say yeah.”

Neither Brown nor Burton say they hold any concerns about pandemic-related complications potentially associated with a football camp, expressing that they’re sure social distancing rules will be followed.

It’s just one of many considerations kids like Brown and Burton have to make these days when balancing their pandemic-tied present with the football-hopeful future.

“I feel like I’m a little behind (preparing for the 2020 season),” Brown said, “but once they say that we can actually play and actually give the OK, then I would be ready to do my best at anything I can.”

COLIN LIKAS

8. Would the IHSA consider moving football to the spring?

Illinois wouldn’t be the first state to shift its 2020 high school football season from fall to spring, should that eventually happen.

Both New Mexico and Virginia already have done so as two of 12 states to move their upcoming prep football campaign in some way as part of a response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

And IHSA executive director Craig Anderson has said in recent interviews that a flipping of seasons — moving a fall sport filled with physical contact like football to springtime, when the pandemic might be better handled — is within the realm of possibility.

Of course, last week’s IHSA announcement that it will defer to the Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois State Board of Education and the office of Governor J.B. Pritzker on future “Return To Play” decisions means it’s more or less out of IHSA officials’ hands if and when the 2020 football campaign will happen.

None of this is preventing local coaches from sharing their thoughts on the matter.

On the whole, the main talking point of coaches who spoke with The News-Gazette is simple: Let us play whenever it makes the most sense.

“I’m all for football to happen,” Villa Grove/Heritage coach Heath Wilson said. “I don’t care if it’s in the fall, winter or spring. These kids deserve a chance to play the game of football. I hope they can make it happen.”

Monticello coach Cully Welter, whose most recent spring season overseeing Sages girls’ track and field was largely wiped out by the pandemic, said he recognizes the IHSA “has a tough job trying to balance the best interests of the athletes in all sports.”

“We will adapt to whatever comes down the pipeline,” Welter added. “We want to have a season in the fall, but if spring is an option and would not be an infringement upon other sports, it would be worth a consideration to me.”

Champaign Central coach Tim Turner admitted that “every fiber in me says football starts in the fall,” but he acknowledged he’d rather coach at any time in the 2020-21 school year than at no time.

“If I’m being honest, whatever scenario is put together that allows us to be the safest, I’m all for it,” Turner said. “If that means we don’t get to play until the spring, I certainly welcome that over not playing at all.”

Watseka coach Aaron Hilgendorf rates fall football as his favored option and spring football as his No. 2 choice, and he feels comfortable that either could safely occur.

“It would be devastating to not play football this year for our community, our school and most importantly our athletes,” Hilgendorf said. “Given the opportunity to compete, we would follow all protocols to keep our athletes and their families safe. There are ways to minimize all risk.”

Paxton-Buckley-Loda coach Josh Pritchard and Tri-County coach Brian Anderson both expressed a vote for spring football, though Anderson wonders about the future of scheduling past this upcoming academic year.

“I get the argument for baseball, softball and other spring sports that, if flipping, those players may get left out of another season,” Pritchard said. “Many of those players are already playing travel ball across many states, so to me there should be no reason those sports couldn’t go off in Illinois.

“With that being said, it should be all about the kids being able to get out and be active. Obesity and bad health and posture is already rampant in the youth.”

“It makes some sense to flip,” Anderson added. “Nearly all of the current spring sports are outdoors and provide more natural spacing and less direct contact.

“(One) question is if football is in the spring and concludes in May or June with the state series, do they then flip the calendar back and play football again two months later? That would be an awful quick turnaround.”

St. Joseph-Ogden coach Shawn Skinner also is an advocate of flipping fall and spring sports schedules, saying “I have been banging this drum for months now.”

“Is it more likely that contact sport is safer in August or March? The answer I get from everyone is March,” Skinner said. “Will we have a better grasp of COVID in August or March? Easy answer: March. So with that being the case, why are we not switching?

“But there needs to be an understanding. If (traditional spring sports) do not play 50 percent of their season … then they should be allowed to have another shot at their season in the spring, and football and volleyball must miss a year.”

Skinner also posited that the IHSA could conduct just a regular season and not contest any playoff action. He’d rather have that, he said, than see the entire operation canceled “when there are so many ways we can try and secure opportunities to still play multiple sports and seasons.”

“Sports are a privilege and not a given or a basic need,” Skinner said. “Football is a way of my life, and I am struggling with the thought of losing it. However, we ask our athletes to do what is best for the team in their thoughts at all times. That’s exactly what we should be doing right now.”

COLIN LIKAS

9. How has preparation changed for 2020 season?

The rollback of parts of Phase 4 of the IHSA’s “Return To Play” procedures meant 7-on-7 football tournaments went from approved to prohibited last week. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley coach Mike Allen had already decided his team wouldn’t host or travel to any 7-on-7 event before the IHSA altered its protocols.

“We decided that we were going to keep our kids here and weren’t going to allow our teams to travel or allow teams to come in,” Allen said. “We were going to make sure we took care of our own house first. That’s our mindset we were taking.”

Not that 7-on-7 tournaments wind up being all that productive for the Falcons anyway.

“It helps being a predominately run team,” Allen joked with 7-on-7s now off the table. “Still, you miss out on that team building and team bonding. You’re going places and traveling and eating and passing time on buses together. That’s where us coaches have to think outside the box. How can we create something similar in-house?”

That’s the challenge Allen and other area coaches now face. They have to prepare for the 2020 season they all hope still happens, but nobody has a playbook for how teams prepare in the middle of a pandemic.

Nick Lindsey isn’t deviating too far from the typical summer plan he’s used in his previous three years as coach at Arcola. There’s still weightlifting and conditioning. Skill work is still important. How it all happens is what’s different.

The mandated smaller group size for workouts in earlier phases of the IHSA’s “Return To Play” plan were so successful the Purple Riders have stuck with them.

“We thought we were able to get really good work out of our kids and able to focus on them more individually than we did if they were all in a group together and everybody was going at once,” Lindsey said. “That is something we might use moving forward when all this extra stuff is not going on. … It’s really difficult to do the things you want — especially in football right now — with the guidelines in place. Staying within the guidelines and still giving your kids an opportunity to prepare is a fine line. We’re trying to be creative and do the things we can to make that happen.”

Allen waited to get back to football-specific activities at GCMS after spending June in conditioning workouts. The Falcons started those Monday instead of the previous week, when Phase 4 allowed. It was something of a momentous feeling to have a football in play.

“It becomes weird when you’re in the middle of practice and you’re wiping down a football,” Allen said. “That’s just not normal. … We’re not where we’d typically be at this time. We’re kind of back to normal, but we still have some things to go through.”

That every team is more or less on a level playing field when it comes to preparing for the 2020 season has Lindsey not overly worried about his team being ready for what is still a scheduled Aug. 28 season opener at Tri-County. Solid turnout for workouts and the production in them has eased his mind, too.

“Our coaching staff does a really good job of getting everybody ready to go and ready to play no matter what the circumstance is,” Lindsey said. “You’ve just got to rely on your coaches and your kids to put in the time and put in the work.”

The consensus from area football coaches is providing any semblance of normalcy this summer is paramount. That nothing is guaranteed about the 2020 season provides an extra challenging in doing so, however.

“It’s tough not knowing every day,” Allen said. “Mentally and emotionally, it takes you through the wringer because we want so much for this to happen for the kids. We’re preparing for the season until they tell us there is no season.”

SCOTT RICHEY

10. How has the pandemic affected football recruiting?

Class of 2021 recruiting classes are filling up. The state of Illinois has seen 21 of its top-25 prospects in the 2021 class commit, as well as 44 out of the top 50.

Every Big Ten program — save for Purdue — has double-digit commitments. The same is happening in other conferences.

Those commitments are coming, in no small part, with recruits having never stepped foot on campus at their eventual college football destination.

The cancellation of all college sports in March coincided with a newly-instituted dead period for recruiting that now extends through the end of August.

No on-campus visits by recruits. No in-home visits by coaches. No slack in the number of commitments.

“They’ve toured it virtually and talked to the coaches and maybe talked to some academic people, but they’ve never set foot on those campuses,” said Allen Trieu, who covers midwest recruiting for 247Sports.

The dead period has also meant none of the traditional camps that college programs would host. No camps means another hit to the evaluation process.

“You have college coaches having to decide if they’re going to take a risk on a kid who maybe in a different year they’d want to see at a camp,” Trieu said. “Do some of the kids who were maybe on the borderline of an offer not get one this year because they were unable to work out in front of that staff?”

The onslaught of commitments without that vital visit stage could make the early signing period in December an even wilder time when it comes to decommitments and new commitments elsewhere.

Just how wild, though, could still be dependent on football happening this fall.

“If there is college football, will kids be allowed to visit?” Trieu said. “Then, is there a high school season? In December, a lot of things happen where kids will get new offers. Maybe a guy comes off the board or a kid decommits. I think it will be harder to evaluate those kind of kids without senior tape. A lot of what will happen and what December is going to be like depends on if high schools and colleges are playing in the fall.”

The Class of 2021 at least got its main evaluation last spring and summer. Those evaluations were a stepping stone to commitments last winter and into this spring and summer.

“If you project that forward, this ’22 class lost the summer where they largely would have been evaluated by these coaches at camps,” Trieu said. “Just as we updated our rankings off just film and whatever else we could find information-wise on these guys, that’s what’s going to happen with the college coaches — especially if there’s no football in the fall in some of these places.”

SCOTT RICHEY