By: Donovan W. Mann – donovanm@977thebolt.com
Humboldt, IA – Humboldt High School Football is hoping that their improved depth and experience will lead to more favorable results in 2020.
The 2020 Iowa High School Football Season is officially here with the majority of week one games schedule for Aug. 28. Going into the season Head Coach Derrick Elman has been pleased with how his team has come along. This includes off-season work, preseason turn out and the handling of COVID-19 mitigation strategies.
In 2019 the Wildcats went 2-7. Coach Elman says that last season his team lacked two things. The first thing was off-season work in the summer. This past summer coach has been pleased with how his team has put in the work. He says they’ve averaged around 60 football players in the weight room during the off-season when it reopened in July following COVID-19 closure.
The second thing coach says was lacking last season was true depth. He called his group of starters “okay” last year but the guys backing them up were not ready for varsity play. He says that group now has a season of JV under their belts and have been much improved. Elman notes that this is especially true along the defensive and offensive fronts where he says he can put a group of starts on both sides of the ball during a scrimmage. Coach estimates that near 85 players have come out program wide and is confident they will have over 60 players on the varsity roster week one.
The offensive and defensive lines have been two areas that Coach Elman and his staff have really been impressed. Another group the coaching staff has been happy to see taking great strides this year include the wide receivers, not just as a group of receivers but also as blockers. One area Coach noted needing to address was the linebackers, specifically the insides where they are replacing two really good players from last season.
The season will not be without 2020 COVID-19 mitigation efforts. The state will be requiring timeouts every four minutes of game clock during games. Meanwhile teams will be responsible for creating a lot of their own efforts. For Humboldt their coaches are wearing masks whenever they are close to the players. Pads and other equipment is sanitized after each practice and put away into a separate trailer. The locker room is also be put under capacity limits to avoid overcrowding.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic the schedule has been shortened by two regular season games (non-district games). In order to avoid problems in playoff qualifications and seeding, every team will make the 2020 post season.
Humboldt’s 2020 footballs schedule:
- Aug. 28: @ Algona (non-district)
- Sept. 4: vs. Storm Lake (non-district)
- Sept. 11: @ Boone
- Sept. 18: vs. Webster City (homecoming)
- Sept. 25: @ Ballard
- Oct. 2: @ Mason City
- Oct. 9: vs. Gilbert
- Oct. 16: PLAYOFFS
While there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the current situation in the wold Coach Elman says he and his team are excited for the chance to play football this fall. As with every year, all games home or away can be heard on KHBT 97.7 the Bolt and 977thebolt.com.