For the past week, high school football was put on hold in the Tampa Bay area. 

There were no practices or games. Classes were canceled, too, allowing schools to become shelters for evacuees. 

That gave time for coaches and players to prepare for a more formidable opponent: Hurricane Ian. 

Everyone anxiously waited for Ian’s arrival, which was forecast to make landfall in the bay area early last week. 

That did not happen. 

Ian barreled into Southwest Florida, causing destruction in Fort Myers and other cities in the surrounding coastline. 

With the area spared any significant damage, games that were supposed to be played this past Friday were rescheduled for tonight.

The condensed timetable created challenges. 

Because of the uncertain path of Hurricane Ian, local school districts could not finalize a plan for games until late last week. And with schools closed until Friday, most teams were unable to practice before this past weekend. 

The Florida High School Athletic Association allowed football programs impacted by Ian to practice on Sunday. Still, that meant just two days to prepare for district contests, nearly all of which have playoff implications.

So how do coaches get their teams ready to play on such short notice? 

Turns out, they already have experience with abbreviated schedules, often on the fly, after dealing with the COVID pandemic the past two years. 

Video sessions were often done remotely, usually via Zoom, while players quarantined. Rosters were constantly influx. Practices – and games – were routinely altered.

“In many ways, our staff reverted to what we did during the height of COVID to help us prepare,” Armwood coach Evan Davis said. 

The Hawks game tonight is a big one, a Class 3, District 4 contest against defending region finalist Wharton in the newly formed Metro Division.     

After not practicing for more than a week, Davis said he wanted his players to go through cardio and put on the pads or shells to get used to being physical again. There were no wrinkles added to the game plan. 

“Everything was pretty basic,” Davis said. 

Besides adapting to reduced timetables, Davis said his players also know to handle adversity. 

“For so long, Armwood has always dominated, always been in control,” Davis said. “They’ve faced tough circumstances before. But I wanted to see how they continued to handle it.

“That’s why we traveled to Lakeland for our preseason game and went to Alabama for our season opener. And we had to wait until 9:30 p.m. before playing Bloomingdale because of a weather delay. We’ve been through all kinds of situations where they’re ready for anything.”

East Lake coach Bob Hudson also knows about scrambled schedules. . 

Two years ago, his team had to find replacement games seemingly on a weekly basis. The Eagles played at Palatka on two days’ notice and Hudson didn’t get video of his opponent until a day before the game.

“We pretty much just winged it,” Hudson said. 

This weekend’s practice routine was not as impromptu as the past thanks to those experiences. Hudson’s plan included a morning practice on Sunday, much like some of his previous teams had on Thanksgiving when they made the playoffs. 

“Sundays are more a time for family, like the holidays, so we wanted to get practice done early so they can have the rest of the day off,” Hudson said. 

East Lake benefitted from having its bye next week, giving players significant time to recover and the staff the ability to properly prepare for their next opponent. 

Most local teams are not as fortunate. 

Besides playing tonight, the bulk of area programs have to turn around and play on Friday. 

Hillsborough coach Earl Garcia spent the early part of last week watching video of two opponents – Gaither (tonight’s game) and Tampa Bay Tech (Friday’s game).

“My body and my mental clock are kind of backwards right now,” Garcia said. “But we have to remember this can be just as hard on the kids, too. Having a routine is very comforting. We’ve had none of that.”

Hurricane Ian is not the first time area teams have dealt with weather issues. 

Coaching staffs and athletic trainers have to monitor the heat – and lightning – during practices. If the heat stress level becomes too high or lightning is detected within a certain proximity, teams are required to head indoors. 

Davis said there have been four or five times this season when his team has gone inside because of the heat, then were delayed even more due to lightning.

And that requires coaches to get creative when conducting practices. 

“We’ve had practices in the gymnasium and in the cafeteria,” Garcia said. “We know how to practice anywhere.”

All these sudden shifts can wear on programs.

“Honestly there’s no overlap,” Mitchell coach Andrew Schmitz said. “We have to play a game with two days notice and then another on Friday. It’s not ok. This is why football should be in the winter. But we’ll be ready to play as best we can.”

Still, coaches are appreciative of their situation given what others around the state are dealing with in Hurricane Ian’s aftermath.

“We have to look at the bigger picture,” Garcia said. “We have to have empathy. We’re playing. I’m coaching.

“And that is a welcome relief.”