The effect of COVID-19 on high school sports has been drastic since the first lockdown in March. Currently, there is no guarantee that higher-risk sports like wrestling and football will be played in early 2021. The Department of Health is requiring 100% face-to-face attendance before permitting high school sports to resume.

There are shades of gray, though.

What if the DOH gives the go-ahead to play, but public schools opt to keep football, wrestling and competitive cheer — all deemed “higher risk” sports by the National Federation of High Schools — on the sideline?

The private-school Interscholastic League of Honolulu will abide by the DOH’s requirements. But longtime ‘Iolani football coach and co-athletic director Wendell Look is pragmatic.

“How would or could school administrations justify playing sports and not having their students in person (on campus)? The ILH would have to follow government guidelines and standards, but anything is possible at this point of time in the world,” he said.

Damien athletic director and football coach Eddie Klaneski agreed.

“If the OIA doesn’t have a (football) season, I am open for the ILH to have a separate season,” he said.

The difference would be real for some student-athletes. Several from public and private schools are playing football in Utah and Idaho this fall. If football in Hawaii is shut down for the rest of the academic year, more athletes are likely to depart to states like Nevada that also postponed fall sports seasons.

As public elementary and middle schools open their doors, the process is gradual. When the fall season arrived, the ILH began discussion of a Plan B for football in case the rest of the state’s leagues outright canceled.

“The ILH football coaches are for that. Now that we have some indication from (the Department of Health), we should go through with our contingency plan,” longtime Saint Louis coach Ron Lee said.

That plan would include the possibility of two teams for Saint Louis, he added, noting that other large programs like Kamehameha could do likewise.

“We could do that and you end up with seven games,” Lee said. “You could schedule the games at Aloha Stadium, spread out the fans. It would be very balanced and I like the fact we could get more kids involved. We have almost 300 kids who signed up for football from seventh grade to varsity. They want to play.”