BELLFLOWER >> As a small group of St. John Bosco football players walked to the sideline to get their gear and move to the...
BELLFLOWER >> As a small group of St. John Bosco football players walked to the sideline to get their gear and move to the next station, athletic director Monty McDermott gave them a quick reminder: “Hey, guys, stay 6 feet apart.”
They were. Actually, they were more like 10 feet apart during their conditioning drills that were done in groups of 10.
St. John Bosco held its first football practice of the summer with a new safety routine in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, in Bellflower on Monday, June 22, 2020. Players arrive in time increments, answer screening questions and sign a waiver, have their temperature taken, wear masks between circuit stations and maintain physical distancing. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
St. John Bosco held its first football practice of the summer with a new safety routine in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, in Bellflower on Monday, June 22, 2020. Players arrive in time increments, answer screening questions and sign a waiver, have their temperature taken, wear masks between circuit stations and maintain physical distancing. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
St. John Bosco held its first football practice of the summer with a new safety routine in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, in Bellflower on Monday, June 22, 2020. Players arrive in time increments, answer screening questions and sign a waiver, have their temperature taken, wear masks between circuit stations and maintain physical distancing. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Sound
The gallery will resume inseconds
St. John Bosco held its first football practice of the summer with a new safety routine in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, in Bellflower on Monday, June 22, 2020. Players arrive in time increments, answer screening questions and sign a waiver, have their temperature taken, wear masks between circuit stations and maintain physical distancing. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Edward Riley stretches during the first football practice of the summer at St. John Bosco with a whole new safety routine in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, in Bellflower on Monday, June 22, 2020. Players arrive in time increments, answer screening questions and sign a waiver, have their temperature taken, wear masks between circuit stations and maintain physical distancing.
(Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Beaux Collins works out during the first football practice of the summer at St. John Bosco with a whole new safety routine in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, in Bellflower on Monday, June 22, 2020. Players arrive in time increments, answer screening questions and sign a waiver, have their temperature taken, wear masks between circuit stations and maintain physical distancing.
(Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
St. John Bosco wide receiver Beaux Collins on Monday works out during the first football practice of the summer at St. John Bosco with a new safety routine in place due to the coronavirus pandemic,. Players arrived in timed increments, answered screening questions and signed a waiver, had their temperature taken, wore masks between circuit stations and maintained physical distancing.
(Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
St. John Bosco held its first football practice of the summer with a new safety routine in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, in Bellflower on Monday, June 22, 2020. Players arrive in time increments, answer screening questions and sign a waiver, have their temperature taken, wear masks between circuit stations and maintain physical distancing. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
St. John Bosco held its first football practice of the summer with a new safety routine in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, in Bellflower on Monday, June 22, 2020. Players arrive in time increments, answer screening questions and sign a waiver, have their temperature taken, wear masks between circuit stations and maintain physical distancing. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
St. John Bosco held its first football practice of the summer with a new safety routine in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, in Bellflower on Monday, June 22, 2020. Players arrive in time increments, answer screening questions and sign a waiver, have their temperature taken, wear masks between circuit stations and maintain physical distancing. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
St. John Bosco held their opening football practice with a whole new safety routine in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, in Bellflower on Monday, June 22, 2020. Players arrive in time increments, answer screening questions and sign a waiver, have their temperature taken, wear masks between circuit stations and maintain physical distancing. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
St. John Bosco held its first football practice of the summer with a new safety routine in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, in Bellflower on Monday, June 22, 2020. Players arrive in time increments, answer screening questions and sign a waiver, have their temperature taken, wear masks between circuit stations and maintain physical distancing. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
It was Monday, and defending national champion St. John Bosco broke the ice with its first joint workout for the upcoming season because sports were shut down in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Coach Jason Negro was stoked.
“I think the most important thing for us is it’s not about football at this point,” he said. “It’s just about getting back and being able to see our student-athletes. We have a passion for coaching and we have a passion for working with young adults and for us to be away from our kids for so long, is just disheartening.
“For us to get back and to build those relationships again is what’s really important to me.”
St. John Bosco had the go-ahead to begin drills via the L.A. County Department of Public Health in conjunction with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
Taking precautions
No one was allowed to watch from the stands Monday. If parents didn’t want to just drop off and come back, they had to stay in the parking lot. Anyone entering the field had to fill out a questionnaire regarding any possible contacts with COVID-19, and each person had their temperature taken.
Everyone wore a mask, though players discarded them during conditioning.
Senior wide receiver Beaux Collins, a Clemson commit, smiled when cornered by a reporter as he was about to begin drills with his group.
“Pretty exciting, man. Just getting back to working out and things like that,” he said. “Just one step at a time, though.”
He was honest when asked if his concerns about the coronavirus made him nervous being at the workout.
“A little bit,” he said. “But as long as we keep our distance and things like that — follow protocol — we should be fine.”
Junior lineman Nathan Burrell – one of the team’s defensive heroes during the national championship season — said he had no worries about the group workout.
“I’m not really nervous at all,” he said. “I feel safe here.”
And he can’t wait for the season.
“I’m really excited,” Burrell said. “I hope it starts as soon as possible so we could get on the field as soon as possible. That’s all I really want.”
Rising numbers
There is no definitive word on when the high school season will start. There has been a recent surge in coronavirus cases in California, which could result in further delay.
Negro responded to that concern.
“Well, I think that anybody could probably tell you that this coronavirus is not going to go away,” he said. “It’s been very well-documented that they’re not going to be able to eradicate this thing. So I think as a country — as the entire world — we’re going to have to learn to live with this. Just like we have with other diseases and other types of infections and things like that.
“We’re going to have to manage it. I mean, I think that you’re seeing a lot of the upticks and a lot of the spikes are coming from asymptomatic people. So, hopefully, what is happening is maybe the virus is diluting itself a little bit and it’s allowing us a way to manage it and deal with it.”
Other schools join party
Although teams from schools in the Long Beach Unified School District are still awaiting the all-clear to begin joint workouts, St. Anthony also began football drills Monday. As did Warren and Downey, which operate under the Downey Unified School District.
