WS Chronicle

By Tevin Stinson

The Chronicle

The weather we’ve been having recently has really thrown a wrench into high school football in the area. Heavy rain has forced athletic directors from across the county to change game days around.

Varsity football games in the area are usually played on Friday nights, but for the last two weeks, games have been played on Thursday or in some cases Monday the following week.

Last week, Reagan and Mt. Tabor had their games moved to Thursday while Winston-Salem Prep moved their conference showdown with Bishop McGuinness to Monday, Oct. 4.

To the untrained eye, changing the day of the game should not make that much of a difference, but a number of athletic directors in the area have said that not playing the games on Friday usually means less money.

Michael Winbush, athletic director at Carver High School, said when the games are moved to a different day, there is almost always a smaller crowd.

“Moving the game to a different day can make it hard on the other athletic programs because most of them are supported by money we make from the football team.” Winbush said.

At the college and high school levels, most athletic teams do not make a lot of money, so the major sports such as football and basketball are expected to provide the bulk of money for the other programs such as soccer, baseball and volleyball.

The decision to move the games to a different day are usually left up to coaches and athletic directors. In some cases, games are not cancelled or changed until late in the afternoon, which could cause a lot of issues for parents or fans playing to attend the games.

Jamison Long, a fan of local high school football, said it is harder for him to attend rescheduled games because he has to work.

“It’s harder for me to attend games on Monday’s or Thursday’s,” said Long. “On Fridays, I get off a little earlier, which is perfect for me.”

The change has an impact on the players as well. When games are moved to Monday, players have a shorter week to prepare for their next matchups.

Junior varsity athletes may be the most impacted by the change. In cases when games are moved to Thursday, the junior varsity games are usually cancelled all together because their are no state playoffs at that level.

Tyquan Watson, a senior running back at Carver, said he’d rather play the game on Fridays.

“I understand that they [Athletic Directors] are trying to keep us safe, but I would rather play the games on Friday,” said Watson. “It just doesn’t feel the same playing on a different day.”