After nearly a year-and-a-half off the field, high school football has returned to the Santa Clarita Valley, with several matchups planned over the coming weeks.

The William S Hart Union High School District varsity teams are set to face off in a five-week season this spring, as high school sports were only recently allowed to resume competing as Los Angeles County moved into the “red” tier of re-opening earlier this month.

See Related: First Hart District Football Teams Begin Practices With Pads

All of the teams in the Foothill League had just over two weeks to prepare for the start of the season on the weekend of March 18th through the 20th, which Hart High School Head Coach Rick Herrington expressed was a very short time frame.

“It’s only seven weeks of work,” he said in a previous KHTS story. “I just hope we can be competitive.”

The Saugus varsity football team won last Thursday’s away conference game against the Canyon Country Cowboys by a score of 41-20.

The Friday night varsity matchup between the Hart Indians and the Golden Valley Grizzlies ended in a tie of 7-7.

The Valencia varsity football team won last Friday’s away conference game against West Ranch by a score of 63-20.

This week, Saugus is set to match up against Hart during a Thursday night matchup. On Friday night, Valencia is scheduled to face off against Canyon, while West Ranch is set to host Golden Valley.

High school sports are set to look a little different this year, as competitions and practices are allowed to continue as long as health protocols set by the state of California and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health are followed.

The protocol specifies that the only observers allowed to be in attendance at any league sporting event are from the competing athlete’s immediate household, according to officials.
Additionally, everyone entering the athletic facility is expected to be screened for Covid-19, which includes a survey and having their temperature taken, according to officials.
In addition, each household must be separated by six feet, wear masks and “refrain from shouting, singing or chanting,” and observers per student-athlete are limited to a maximum of two spectators per game, according to Hart District officials.
Each athlete is expected to be allowed six family members on an entry list, from which the two observers who will be allowed into the game can be cleared upon entry, according to officials.
No children will be allowed on the list as they would not be attending for supervision purposes, Hart District officials said.

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