No spectators allowed at Colorado state championship games
Brandon Boles
Due to health concerns surrounding COVID-19, the Colorado High School Activities Association and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced that no spectators will be allowed to any of the seven state championship games played at CSU-Pueblo.
The move was announced on Wednesday, Nov. 25, in a press release. The following is the release from the CDPHE explaining the decision:
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment tonight announced greater restrictions to the approval for the state’s high school football championship games. These additional restrictions come as Pueblo County continues to have widespread transmission of COVID-19. Experts at the Colorado School of Public Health estimate that 1 in 29 people in Pueblo and surrounding areas are contagious with the virus. Much of the county is restricted by stringent capacity limits, as dictated in Level Red of the state's dial.
New modifications to Pueblo County's approval, which was originally approved on November 4, will disallow spectators. Attendance will now be limited solely to football teams, athletic staff, cheerleaders, band members, broadcast staff, and other essential personnel.
"We appreciate the ongoing partnership with the Colorado High School Activities Association as we navigate these tough times," said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, Executive Director, CDPHE. "Early in the season, our organizations both agreed that additional safety measures like these might need to be taken, and now unfortunately we are there. These decisions aren't made lightly, but they’re necessary."
"Our administrators always advocate for the full high school experience and although disappointing, we support these tough decisions," said CHSAA Commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green. "Season A football for 218 schools that competed this fall and approval of the culminating championships in these unprecedented and tumultuous times, would not have been possible without the support of CDPHE, state and county officials."
CDPHE will continue to monitor the situation over the week. If conditions worsen, CDPHE may need to revisit the modified variance.
All seven games will be broadcast online on the NFHS Network and will be played at the Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl on the campus of CSU-Pueblo. The 6-man and 8-man state games will be played on Thursday, Dec. 3, and Class 2A and 4A will play on Friday, Dec. 4. Championship games in Classes 1A, 3A and 5A will be played on Saturday, Dec. 5.
Be sure to follow Prep Redzone Colorado for coverage of all seven state championship games in December.
