At Burleson Centennial High School, the home of the Spartans has felt different these days.
“Yeah it certainly has," said Spartans head football coach Kyler Geller. "Everything’s been different over the past few months.”
COVID-19 concerns have made summer strength and conditioning workouts more challenging than ever.
“In the beginning, it was kind of hard. We weren’t used to spraying down the bars after we were working,” said rising senior cornerback Dereonite Campbell.
The importance of safety protocols has sunk in quickly at Centennial. But even with measures in place, it hasn't prevented camp from being shut down temporarily.
During a vigil for Burleson High School student-athlete Jayden “Trey” Allison, who was recently killed in a car crash, the fear was that several members of the Centennial squad had come into contact with someone else at the vigil who tested positive for the coronavirus.
But with contact tracing revealing nobody had, the Spartans were cleared to return to the field, and they're eager to put this worldwide public health crisis behind them.
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“I am really, really ready for it to go. I’m not going to lie to you. It’s a little too much sometimes. I just wish I could get back to normal and not having to worry about nothing,” said Campbell.
Geller adding, “We were just thrilled to get back to work and more than just the physical part of it, I think it’s the spirit of the kids that they’re able to see each other.”
Even if they can’t get near each other.
“We can’t clump together," said Geller.
Those are words to live by these days.