Schedule Change! / Spectator Policies Announced / Home Games Coming Up

As the opening games of the soccer season loom in the next three days, there is a significant schedule change to announce. The JV2 game against Newport High School, scheduled to be played on Friday at 4:30 at Dresden, will now be played at 5:30 on Friday at the HHS Turf. Parents and family members (2 pwer family) will be allowed to attend. We need a parent volunteer to run the scoreboard during the game. On-site instruction will be provided. Please contact Coach Grabill if you are interested. The HHS Varsity will practice on the turf after the game, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The HHS Athletic Department has announced the Spectator Policy for all home games. Spectators wil be limited to parents and immediate family members (including siblings), two per family. Each player will receive two wrist bands (not transferrable) for each game. Non-family students and away fans will not be allowed. These policies are consistent with those of other schools around the state. The full policy is available on the HHS Athletic Home Page on the HHS Web site. Spectators must wear masks at all times, and must remain socially distant. They are allowed to cheer through their masks! The first game of the season will take place on the HHS turf on Thursday at 6:30. It's a scrimmage, but we are treating it like a game! The Freshman team will challenge the HHS Girls' Varsity on the HHS turf. Parents are welcome, following the spectator policies articulated above (minus the wrist bands). Masks are still required at all times. The Freshmen are asked to wear their newly-issued uniforms (maroon tops, white shorts, maroon socks). Sorry for the short laundry turnaround! The next team up on the turf will be the JV2s on Friday against Newport, as described above. Then, on Saturday, the JV1 and Varsity teams host Lebanon. The JV1s kick off at 1:00. We need a parent volunteer to run the scoreboard. It's easy. Best seat in the house! Please contact coach Grabill if you are interested in helping. We are so grateful to so many members of the HHS community who have brought us to the point where we able to give each of our four teams a game experience on the turf in a 48-hour stretch. The players have been very responsive to following all safety protocols, respondiong to their coaches, and working hard to improve. Parents have been wonderfully supportive, and done so much in the area of transport to and from practice. Athletic administrators Megan Sobel and Celina LaRiviere have worked tirelessly behind the scenes, dealing with myriad tasks as they translate policy into workable guidelines, compounded by so many COVID concerns. Athletic Trainer Cassie Lapple has already been invaluable to the program, dealing calmly and professionally with injuries, working with players on prevention and rehabilitation, and helping enable the required practice of sanitizing all of our equipment. The coaches staff has been superlative. Their attention to detail, concern for the players, and excellent communication have made it possible for our four teams to make significant progress in the critical task of developing team culture. Our hope is to play through September and well into Octber. We are taking nothing for granted. Each day is a gift. The fact that we'll be playing games this weekend is a gift. We will be subject to current events out of our control going forward, but we have controlled everything within our capacity to do so. Let the games begin!