High school football team in Northern California cleared to begin conditioning workouts

In another sign of progress during the COVID-19 pandemic, Wheatland Union High School’s football team in Northern California was given final clearance to begin conditioning workouts Wednesday, athletic director David Contreras said.

Wheatland will follow strict social distancing guidelines and not use a football in the workouts, according to Contreras. Wheatland, located an hour from Sacramento, received permission from its administration and county health department. Cheerleaders will be allowed to begin drills Thursday.

Schools around the state could receive an update as early as Wednesday from the state superintendent on how to open campuses and perhaps how to proceed with extracurricular activities.

Each county has its own guidelines. Northern California, outside of San Francisco, has been more flexible because of fewer COVID-19 cases than in Southern California.

The California Interscholastic Federation, the governing body for sports, continues to monitor the situation and is waiting to see when school districts plan to open this fall and whether students will be on campus or taking classes online.