ST. LOUIS – High schools across the region are adjusting athletic schedules and practice times to protect student-athletes from extreme heat. Area athletic directors are pushing kickoff times into the evening and moving outdoor events to early morning hours.
To make informed safety decisions, athletic departments are utilizing specialized heat-monitoring equipment and communicating directly with opposing schools. Administrators at Granite City High School and De Smet Jesuit High School are actively adjusting operations based on temperature readings across their physical facilities.
Granite City High School shifted its upcoming home football game against the Ottawa Pirates to an 8 p.m. kickoff this Friday. John Moad serves as the athletic director at Granite City High School. Moad explained that coordinated planning was necessary to adjust the schedule with Ottawa, whose team must travel 3 hours for the contest…