The Moose Jaw High School Football Season won’t be kicking off immediately this fall, with the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association pressing the pause button until late this month.

Were it not for the pandemic, high school football would have started this week with a trio of games in the Moose Jaw High School Football League.

Vanier Vikings head coach Ryan Gottselig would normally have almost two weeks of practice with his team by this point in the season, but things this year have changed:

“We’re just preparing as though we’re able to start,” said Gottselig. “What that looks like in terms of the product on the field, I’m not sure. But as far as preparation, we’re just making sure our equipment is lined up ready to go for when the kids arrive. I guess when they do arrive in the building, is when we’ll get a better sense of who might be interested and who might not be in terms of families. I know some might opt out based on safety concerns and things like that.”

Gottselig said they haven't even distributed playbooks at this point.

“Playbooks is a little tough right now because we don’t know what the game is going to look like,” he said. “I don’t think 12-man football is going to be a reality the way things have been presented to us so far. So your playbook gets adjusted pretty quick if the game becomes a six-a-side or nine-a-side type of game. We’ll just have our things prepared and ready to go when we are able to get started.”

Adding another obstacle, the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation late yesterday advised their members against extracurricular activities.

Anticipation is high the football community is chomping at the bit to get things underway.

“Certainly the conversations I’ve had with anyone in the football community, is that at this point, we’re so ingrained to already being started, we’d be a week and a half in at this point and we’d already have had scrimmages. Certainly, everyone is definitely anxious to get going,” Gottselig said.