BEEKMANTOWN, N.Y. (WCAX) – Before COVID-19, fall Friday nights were usually spent under the lights in many rural communities in the North Country. But, with the uncertainty that the coronavirus brings, fall sports could look very different this season.

The Hansen family spent last fall on the sidelines cheering on number 33, Jack Hansen, a Peru varsity freshman playing full back and linebacker.

“Kids need outlets and when they don’t get those, they are going to find them in other ways that are unhealthy and not safe,” mom Kristin Hansen said.

But this season, Jack will stick to tossing the pigskin in his yard with his dad.

“They’re playing all across the United States; why can’t we?” Kristin Hansen wondered.

New York guidelines say no high-contact sports– football, volleyball, rugby and hockey– until after December 31.

No- to low-contact sports, like tennis and swimming, can happen but will have a delayed start and shorter season.

“Our focus is can we do this in-person learning five days a week safely,” said Dan Mannix, the superintendent of the Beekmantown Central School District.

Peru School has not made a call on having fall sports yet but Beekmantown Central School District is holding off on all fall sports until at least October 5. The district is waiting 21 days in school to monitor how cases go in school and in the surrounding community.

“I’d like to see the kids play all hinging on if we are doing this safely,” Mannix said.

But the school says if they do play, they will be playing with stricter guidelines than outlined by the state which doesn’t require a mask when practicing or playing.

“We’re going to put our masks on, our fans are going to put their masks on and were going to keep safety first. If we go somewhere else and they don’t have those rules, we may not go,” Mannix said.

Still, some parents are unhappy with the state’s decision to hold off on high-contact sports that can’t play until next year, especially with the uncertainty of North Country weather playing interference with the season.

“We have done everything that we needed to do, the kids have done everything that they needed to do and now we are being told again it’s not enough,” Kristin Hansen said.

Hansen is hosting a “Let Them Play” rally in Plattsburgh at noon this Saturday. Masks must be worn at the rally in front of Assemblyman Billy Jones’ office on the U.S. Oval. It’s one of many rallies happening across New York State supporting fall sports.

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