Advertisement

WNC high school football 2023: Practice guidelines, heat index policy, key dates and more

zachary huber, asheville citizen times
·4 min read
1

WNC high school football teams are eligible to start practicing on Monday. Here are some things fans need to know about the 2023 North Carolina high schoool football season and preseason.

Getting started

Before practicing in full pads, football teams must have two days of practicing in helmets and three days in helmets and shoulder pads.

The first day teams can practice in full pads is Aug. 5, but only for players who have completed the aforementioned five practices. Teams are allowed to begin as early as midnight. Tuscola will have a midnight practice beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Aug. 5 to be the first to practice in pads.

Practice? We’re talking about practice

A single practice can’t exceed three hours. Teams may practice multiple times in a day but must follow one of these options.

  • Option A: One, three-hour practice

  • Option B: One, three-hour practice, followed by a mandatory three-hour cool-down period, followed by a one-hour walk through

  • Option C: Teams can opt to divide up five hours of practice. Teams can practice for three hours followed by a cooling off period before practicing for two hours. Or teams can start with a two-hour practice followed by a cooling off period before practicing for three hours. Regardless, the two-hour practice is to be no contact. But if a team chooses to practice five hours during a 24-hour period it must follow it with one of the shorter practices or be off that day.

What to know about hot temperatures

According to NCHSAA rules, “A wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) chart should be available at practices and contests. If an instrument to assess WBGT is unavailable, the heat and humidity guidelines should be used.

“Supplies to assess WBGT (or alternatively, heat and humidity on site), to assess core temperature and to provide for rapid cooling should be on-site for all practices and games as environmental conditions require.”

Football teams practicing outdoors must follow these NCHSAA guidelines:

If the WBGT or heat index is less than 80: Schedule mandatory rest and water breaks. Five minutes for water and rest breaks every 30 minutes.

WBGT 80-84.9 or heat index of 80-90: Normal practice for athletes. Schedule mandatory rest and water breaks. Five minutes for water and rest breaks every 25 minutes.

WBGT 85-87.9 or heat index of 91-103: New or unconditioned athletes should have reduced intensity practice and modification in clothing. Schedule frequent mandatory rest and water breaks. Five minutes for water and rest breaks every 20 minutes. Have cold or ice immersion pool on site for practice.

WBGT 88-88.9 or heat index of 104-124: Remove pads and equipment. Schedule frequent mandatory rest and water breaks. Five minutes for water and rest breaks every 15 minutes. Have cold or ice immersion pool on site for practice.

WBGT 90 or above or heat index of 125 and up: Suspend practice.

WNC HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL 2023: Mountain 7 preview, bold predictions, top games

Key dates

First day of practice: Monday, July 31

First day of practice in full pads: Saturday, Aug. 5

Regular season begins: Week of Aug. 18

Playoffs begin: Nov. 3

State championships: Dec. 8-9

Top scrimmages/jamborees

Teams can start scrimmaging on Aug. 9. They are also allowed to hold two preseason scrimmages as long as they are held at least two days apart.

Here are the top scrimmages to watch:

Aug. 9: Hayesville at Franklin at 10 a.m.; Roberson at Pisgah at 7 p.m.; Freedom at Hendersonville at 7 p.m.; Watauga at Asheville High at 6 p.m.; West Henderson at Brevard at 7 p.m.

Aug. 11: Cooper Basin (TN) vs. Murphy at 5 p.m.; Robbinsville at Pisgah at 6 p.m.; Rosman at West Henderson at 7 p.m.; Andrews at Franklin at 7 p.m.; Cherokee and Madison at East Henderson at 6 p.m.

Buncombe County Jamboree held at Erwin High School (Asheville High vs. Dorman (SC) at 5 p.m., Roberson vs. Polk County at 6 p.m., Reynolds vs. Smoky Mountain at 7 p.m., Erwin vs. Hendersonville 8 p.m.)

Aug. 12: Greenville County Jamboree held at Furman University (Christ School vs. Greenville High (SC) at 2 p.m.)

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: NCHSAA football 2023: Practice, heat index policies, key WNC dates