The Hebron Hawks have made a lot of nice plays on the football field this season. But their 2020 campaign is now on hold because of a COVID-19 outbreak on the coaching staff.
In a letter written to those closely tied to his program, head coach Brian Brazil confirmed that he's among those who've tested positive for the coronavirus and as a result, the program will be shut down for the next two weeks.
"It's a huge question now moving forward in a very competitive playoff race," said Joseph Hoyt, who covers Texas high school football for The Dallas Morning News.
"It complicates things (in 6A Region, District 6)," Hoyt added. "But because of district rules ruling that these are no contests, instead of forfeits, ultimately what that means is when it comes to tiebreaker scenarios will probably be by head-to-head and then ultimately by win-loss percentage at the end."
While an outbreak is never good, the timing could be worse. Classes 1A through 4A begin the playoffs this week.
"I'm sure if you ask any Texas high school football coach, they'd rather have this happen, contain it, move past it, instead of having to make the playoffs, get excited for that and then have to end their season because of an outbreak with no other option," Hoyt said.
Winning a state championship isn't easy. But that may be an understatement in a season like this.
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"It's got to be COVID protocols first, then game-planning for whatever opponent it is because if you lose the first part, you're not going to even have a chance to play for the second," Hoyt said.
