Chaminade-Madonna’s football team begins practices while most of South Florida holds off

With the sound of coaches blowing whistles, quarterbacks yelling snap counts and defensive players making hits, Chaminade-Madonna’s Thursday practice had an atmosphere of normalcy. But with masks on nearly everyone’s faces or around their necks, the specter of the coronavirus pandemic couldn’t be too far from people’s minds.

Although the Broward County Athletic Association has delayed the start of fall practices, private schools such as Chaminade do not have to abide by the district’s decisions. The Florida High School Athletic Association permitted schools to begin fall practices on Monday, so the Lions hit the field.

“It feels good to be out of the house,” Chaminade coach Dameon Jones said. “Just making sure we take all the right precautions, making sure my coaches are safe, making sure the kids are safe and just trying to get through.”

The FHSAA Board of Directors voted on Aug. 14 to permit the start of fall practices after nearly a month-long delay, despite the organization’s Sports Medicine Advisory Committee recommending further delays. The BCAA — which encompasses all of Broward County’s public schools and some of the county’s private and charter schools, including Cardinal Gibbons and St. Thomas Aquinas — has not announced a potential start date for fall practices.