Message from Coach MAC
A month ago, I mentioned the color Orange meaning fall, pumpkin spice, and basketball. This week Orange took on a new meaning as we look to tighten up our protocols for COVID-19 and be even more diligent about our precautions. I echo the comments by Mr. Taylor in his district email this morning – we want to continue to provide as many opportunities for our students as possible while allowing families to gauge risk and decide what is best for their families. This includes athletics. The Athletic Department and District Upper Administration, along with our Physicians Advisory Group, have been in daily contact since before school began about CDC numbers, student population, cross-pollination of campus groups, fans, venues, and many other things. Several families have opted in and out of particular sports based on location and family circumstances (ie – outdoor sport vs indoor sport, etc). Several families have opted in for sports and then missed games or practices, because they wanted to take extra precautions, but then returned without penalty for time missed. We have been encouraged by our school community taking our protocols so seriously, while also sharing their concerns and asking the right questions as circumstances change. Our families have been flexible and supportive when games have been cancelled, postponed, or moved. Our teams have had success this year despite the practice challenges and restrictions on certain activities and our desire is that our current and future sport seasons will finish out the year. We tell our student-athletes to “play each practice and game as if it could be your last” – leave it all out on the field or court. To that end, we hope to move back to Level Yellow soon, but in the meantime, here are some of the efforts and increased precautions that are being put in place or that are being discussed if we remain at the Level Orange designation:
All these efforts and decisions are fluid as we continue to navigate these challenging times together. Our Athletic Department staff and coaches are thankful for our parent partnerships, and grateful for the leadership of our Board, Headmaster, and Assistant Headmaster. It is because of this leadership partnership that we continue to stay Griffin Strong!
Weekly Sports Recap
The Rhetoric Basketball squads both got big wins over Trinity School in their debut Tuesday night. Due to COVID concerns, further steps were taken to reduce seating capacity and increase social distancing at Midtown Gym. Therefore, the home opener was played before a limited capacity crowd of mostly immediate family members and a few high school students.
The night opened with the introduction of our new Rhetoric JV girls team. The girls played great despite limited practice time together beating Trinity 26-2. Messiah Macon led the team with 8 points and Madilyn Irons scored 6. The team smothered the Trinity guards creating multiple turnovers.
The Rhetoric Varsity boys ran away in their home opener beating Trinity 84-24 in the night cap. The boys had 6 in double figures with 12 each for Cameron Bryan, Camden Jackson, and Sam High. Many team school records were set including Points in a game (84), Points in a Quarter (29), Points in a Half (54), Margin of Victory (60), Blocks (5) and Assists (24).
The Rhetoric Boys continued their fast break ways on Thursday night as they defeated Immanuel Lutheran 64-27. The team again was very balanced as 4 scored in double figures and no player logged more than 19 minutes.
Griffin 3X3 Basketball League Begins
The Griffin 3X3 League started up last Saturday to rave reviews. Twenty-seven teams between North and South gathered at Midtown throughout the day and really improved in just the first day. Stay tuned for possible changes and updates to the schedule this week and after Thanksgiving.
Upcoming Athletic Events
