Newport Mesa officials change course and look at tentative start for athletic camps July 6

Newport Harbor High School captains, flanked by Coach Peter Lofthouse, take the field for the coin toss in a game last season. (File photo: Fernando M. Donado, For OC Sports Zone)

Newport Mesa Unified School District officials announced Tuesday they will work on a plan to tentatively start high school athletic camps on Monday, July 6, according to Estancia High Athletic Director Nate Goellrich.

All sports camps, including football, would be able to start if the plan is approved by district officials, Goellrich said. Estancia, Corona del Mar, Newport Harbor and Costa Mesa are high schools in the district. High school sports have been on hold since March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We are working on tentative July 6^th start to summer camps,” Goellrich said Tuesday night after a meeting among athletic directors in the district. “We will be following the NFHS guidelines that were released a couple weeks ago (for football) until newer information becomes available.

“We are starting to plan out what phase 1 of the NFHS guidelines will look like on July 6^th and plan to give a full report to district officials in a couple weeks for approval. Our summer camps are still on hold until these details are worked out or more information becomes available.”

As part of its detailed report, the National Federation of State High School Associations, indicated that phase one includes a number of requirements including screening of athletes for the coronavirus and physical distancing and states that “contact with other players is not allowed, and there should be no sharing of tackling dummies/donuts/sleds.” It also says that athletes should work in pods of five to 10.

Screenings would include a temperature check, according to the report.

Last week, officials with Newport Mesa Unified School District indicated that high school sports for the summer had been cancelled but Goellrich and CdM football coach Dan O’Shea indicated they hoped the ruling would be changed after a meeting among the athletic directors.

-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com