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Maryland coaches and families push to play high school football
Big crowds may not be gathering at high school football games in Maryland, but this weekend, hundreds of players, coaches, and parents will converge on Annapolis. It’s for what’s being called the 'Let Them Play Rally,' and organizers said their goal is to fight for high school football in the fall.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - Right now, big crowds may not be gathering at high school football games in Maryland, but this weekend, hundreds of players, coaches, and parents will converge on Annapolis. It’s for what’s being called the "Let Them Play Rally," and organizers said their goal is to fight for high school football in the fall.
“We have kids that are leaving our state to go to other states to play high school football,” said Keith Rawlings, who is the head coach at Edgewood High School in Harford County and one of the rally organizers. He also said Maryland is one of just nine states that are not currently playing high school football.
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“What’s gonna happen if we have a spring season, I’m afraid that scholarships are gonna be given to kids in other states that have a fall season, and I don’t think it’s fair to the kids in Maryland that we’re not giving them the same opportunity other states are doing,” added Rawlings, who previously spoke with WTOP.
The event is planned for 2 p.m. on Saturday. Former Maryland Governor Bob Ehrlich, whose son Josh is a junior quarterback at Broadneck High School in Annapolis, plans to attend.
“I see three-quarters of the country playing, I see a couple thousand high school football games have already been played around the country, some in states with worse numbers than ours, and no outbreak, no problem,” Ehrlich said. “Our goal is to revisit the issue, have a reversal of the previous decision to play in the spring, and get up and running in the next couple weeks.”
Attempts to reach both the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association and the state Department of Education for comment were not immediately successful. Previously the MPSSAA said fall and winter sports were being postponed for the health and safety of participants, coaches, and officials.