Official word from Governor Bill Lee came down this week and Friday night lights will officially kick off on Friday, August 21 at Doug Price Field inside Raider Stadium with the home opener against Cascade. Governor Lee is expected to sign Executive Order 55 this week, which will include an exception to the contact sports restrictions for Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) schools.
“We appreciate being able to work with Governor Lee and his staff on this,” said TSSAA Executive Director Bernard Childress. “I am pleased that we were able to develop some very specific guidelines for every sport that will allow our kids to get out on their fields and fully participate in football and girls’ soccer this fall.”
All rules for contact sports issued by the TSSAA Board of Control on July 22 remain in effect. To read those rules, click here.
Coach Kris White began heat acclimatization practices with his team on July 20. Each players must complete two days of helmet only and three days of helmets and pads practice before moving on to full equipment practices.
The governor’s order should also mean that the Raider’s regular season will take place as originally scheduled with 10 regular season games and an open date. Region 5A playoffs should also kick off on November 6 as originally planned. State championship games would take place in Cookeville from December 3-5.
As stated in our July 22 article, the TSSAA has added multiple social distancing requirements including temperature checks and masks for fans.
For more news and updates concerning Raider Football, there are a couple of social media pages you should like including the new student-run Moore County Sports Network. Click here to like their Facebook page. •
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