ST CHARLES, Mo. — Many high schools on both sides of the river had to adjust sports practice times due to the heat. High school football teams even had to move the start time of the first games scheduled for this upcoming weekend.
On a regular August afternoon, Francis Howell Football players expect to deal with the heat, especially in full gear.
“I'd say probably adds about ten more degrees out there in the pads. I mean, you kind of, like, suffocated in there. Yeah, a lot of you sweat a lot in the pads,” Francis Howell Senior and Football Team Captain Logan Scribner said.
But this week its been a whole lot worse, even with less gear on.
“It's just mental. Every day we tell each other it's 70 and sunny out here,” Scribner said.
Francis Howell Head Football Coach Brent Chojnacki says in his 13 years of coaching he can't remember a time when they had to modify practices and games for five days straight due to the heat.
“We moved the outdoor portion of practice from 8 to 10 p.m. We had to get the work in with the kids and also keep them healthy,” Chojnacki said.
The 2022 state champions started their practice inside reviewing footage all while they waited for the field to cool down to a safe level according to the wet bulb globe thermometer scale.
“So right now here at 6:30, wet bulb rate is 86.5. And ultimately that leads to players are restricted to helmet, shoulder pads and shorts during practice,” Chojnacki said.
Manager of Sports Medicine Outreach at Mercy Mike Tzianos says the special thermometers measure the humidity, air temperature, direct sunlight and wind on each field.
“If you have a lot of asphalt around you, that can actually impact how the field responds as well. So there's a lot of different things that we're taking into account when our athletic trainers are on the field taking the measurements and it's site-specific. Every field is different and we want to keep players healthy,” Tzianos said.
If the reading on the wet bulb thermometer is 92 or higher all outdoor high school workouts and games have to be canceled, making practice and game time adjustments worth it with lots of water on hand for drinking and dunking if needed.
“When you look at the summer and all the work we put in, we feel like we're in a good place, even with the modifications that we've had to make just this week,” Chojnacki said.
Scribner says the heat won't keep them from a win.
“I got to put everything out there on the field with my guys out there. We've been playing since fifth grade or so, and so our last time playing together and we want to run it back,” Scribner said.
They’ll be playing Fort Zumwalt North at 8 p.m. on Friday.
We have more game time changes here.