Though Gov. Eric Holcomb announced on Wednesday that Indiana would remain in Stage 4.5 of the five-stage “Back on Track” plan for two additional weeks due to an uptick in coronavirus cases, positivity rate and hospitalizations, high school sports will be allowed to move into the second phase of reopening Monday.

The second phase allows for fewer restrictions than the first phase, which started July 6. All activities remain voluntary and athletes will be allowed a maximum of 15 hours of activity practice and conditioning workouts per week on the high school campus. One difference from the first phase to the second is that physical contact on a limited basis is allowed and, for football, helmets and shoulder pads will be allowed.

The Indiana Football Coaches Association is advocating a cautious approach in moving forward. IFCA executive director Bob Gaddis described the transition as “moving carefully into Phase 2, with a Phase 1 mentality.”

“We’re not in a big hurry to put pads on and start banging away,” said Ben Davis football coach Jason Simmons, the assistant director for the IFCA. “We feel like our guys need to stay on the track they are on right now. We’re going to add football activities next week because we feel like our guys are ready for it and can do it in a safe manner and our guys understand the protocols to be able to do it. We’re ready to do more football activities but we’re not ready for equipment right now and that’s OK for us. It fits us. We feel good about where we are and where we’re headed.”

Aug. 3 is the official start date for high school football practice, along with boys and girls soccer, boys tennis, volleyball and unified flag football. Girls’ golf contests are allowed on Aug. 3.

Simmons said an example of “football activities” that Ben Davis plans for next week is getting into team offense and team defense, instead of working out specifically with position groups as they have during the first phase.

“Being able to put 11 guys on the field together as an offense or defense is kind of the next thing going forward,” he said. “But there’s no question you have to get to Aug. 3. Then the work is not done from there at all. We have to get to Aug. 3 in the best shape we can be in and then we can reintegrate football equipment and reintegrate contact and advance ourselves. From there, it’s the great unknown. But we have to continue to maximize the day that we get. That’s been our focus.”

So far, 10 states have pushed back the start of high school sports: Arizona, Hawaii, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia. New Jersey has set Oct. 2 as the starting date for high school football, while New Mexico has switched football to the spring, a move Virginia is also considering as it will not consider any football in the fall. The other states listed have delayed the start of the season by at least a week or two.

Meanwhile, the decisions to play sports in Indiana are more likely to be made by local school districts with input from health officials than a statewide mandate from the Indiana High School Athletic Association. It is possible for athletics to continue per IHSAA rules, and if districts are in favor, if there is virtual learning instead of in-person classes.

Karissa Niehoff, executive director for the National Federation of High School Athletic Associations, released an article Wednesday titled “With safety measures in place, students need sports and performing arts for mental and emotional wellness.”

Niehoff wrote, in part: “Although there will be areas of the country where a return to the classroom and to activity programs may be delayed due to spiking COVID-19 cases, we believe the resumption of in-person classes, sports and other activities is crucial to the growth, development, and mental and emotional wellness of our nation’s youth.”

Niehoff cited a study conducted by the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine after the shutdown in March that found that 68 percent of the state’s student-athletes reported symptoms of depression by May.

“Things will not look the same as in the past,” Niehoff wrote. “And there should be an abundance of care for coaches, administrators, officials and others who are more susceptible to to the virus than students. But a return to play must be done with a positive and informed perspective to keep these programs going. We need to be in the moment and working together.”

Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at 317-444-6649.