High school football players from across the state assembled on the steps of the Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford on Wednesday to protest the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference’s (CIAC) decision to cancel their season.       

St. Joseph wide receiver Brady Hutchison believes  Connecticut teams should play despite the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“The numbers in CT are below 1%,” Hutchison said. “Governor Lamont told us to follow the metrics and trust the facts, and the facts show it is safe to play football.”  Hutchinson went on to add, “There have been no spikes for COVID-19 in states that are playing football. If there’s a spike in numbers, then we’ll have the conversation to shut it down.” 

 Many athletes feel passionate towards playing this fall because their senior season is critical for college recruitment. 

“My senior year highlights are the only way to showcase my new talents and what I have been grinding for every day,” Jake Luffman ’21 said. 

Staples High School students debated the efficacy of the protest in the schoolwide Facebook group “Superfans.” Some students within the Superfans group chat thought the protest was counterproductive because they felt that the protestors were not observing adequate social distancing. 

“I think that huge protest was counterproductive because even though the team has been taking the right precautions over the summer, arguing for a season in the midst of a pandemic was not the way to go,” Carrie Everett ‘21 said. “I get that there’s power in numbers, but I still think in this practical case other forms of protests would have been much more convincing.” 

What comes with playing sports, is the experiences that you endure. These players have expressed their bond from youth football to high school, and have always dreamed of playing their senior season together. “I do care a lot about my future, and football means the world to me,” Luffman said. “But it also means a lot to me that I can see my brothers that I have played with for eight years play their final season.”