As neighboring areas kick off football season, D.C. players and parents push for a return
Last month, when Page saw that a winter campaign was in jeopardy — as states across the country had launched or were launching football seasons of their own — he decided to do something. The Tigers running back contacted his school’s principal and a local news station, hoping to build momentum and create change.
“I was inspired by all the protests that I’ve seen in the past year that have had an outcome and effect,” Page said. “I thought maybe if I do this I would get my outcome, also.”
His hopes and fears regarding a season are widespread. Across the city, football players and parents have expressed anger and confusion over the shutdown of high school athletics. As Northern Virginia schools move into their second full week of football practice, and several Maryland counties prep for a fall season, Page and others keep pushing to get back on the field.
“They almost feel like they’re the forgotten,” Coolidge booster Sherrie Nesbitt said. “They feel left out and given the short end of the stick, when right across the river they’re being allowed to play.”
The goal of these efforts has been for Mayor Muriel E. Bowser to lift or alter a Jan. 11 order that suspended high school athletics until March 17. That decision, an extension of an order that was put in place in early December, all but eliminated the possibility of a condensed winter football season. Citing that order, the D.C. State Athletic Association has announced it will not hold winter or fall sports championships.
There are at least three petitions, each bearing hundreds of signatures, circulating online asking for a football season in D.C. Letters and emails have been sent to Bowser and some city council members, asking them to reconsider. Players, parents and coaches from across the D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association have been holding Zoom meetings to discuss next steps.
The mayor’s office did not respond to a request by The Washington Post to comment on these efforts.
“It feels like everyone’s on board,” Page said. “I get 20 texts every day from people across the [city] saying, ‘What are we doing next?’ ”
Page said the lack of games or practices has made many players restless. Parents worry about the byproducts, both large and small, of a lost football season.
“The city, as we all know, can be troublesome for our youth today,” Dunbar parent Angie Dreher said. “Their minds wander. And if there’s nothing to do, that’s when the wandering comes in. … With football being gone, it takes away a lot of their outlets.”
Dreher’s son, Amonte, helped lead the Crimson Tide to a Turkey Bowl victory in 2019. This past fall, he was unable to gather with his team for school-sanctioned activities. At one point, he helped organize an informal seven-on-seven league to stay sharp. His hope was that a senior season, even a delayed or condensed one, could spark recruiting interest.
At Friendship Collegiate, a powerhouse public charter program in Northeast Washington, Coach Mike Hunter has tried to help his players navigate the lack of exposure. With no game tape to send to college coaches, some of them have taken videos of themselves working out at home.
While D.C. public schools are unlikely to hold a fall sports season unless current restrictions are lifted, charter schools and private schools could start up after March 17, assuming the order is not extended. That scenario presents its own issues, Hunter said.
“I think a lot of people are missing the point that we can’t just play a game the next day,” he said. “It’s going to take us a few weeks to get the kids in safe conditioning to engage in activities. So we’re definitely hoping [Bowser] rescinds that order prior to [March 17].”
With four months remaining in the school year, time is running out for a resolution. Page and his teammates continue to meet up for informal, distanced workouts and continue to hope that their efforts, on and off the field, will not be in vain.
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