High school football practice kicks off across Texas

Texas (KBTX) — Monday marked the first day of fall practice for UIL member schools that did not hold spring football practice, and the first day those programs were required to follow new heat safety rules.

This season, UIL member schools must perform wet bulb temperature readings before and during outdoor activities. The readings measure the stress placed on the body by factoring in ambient temperature, wind speed, humidity, and radiant energy.

The thresholds work like this: below 82°F WBGT, no modifications are required. Above 82°F, schools begin adjusting outdoor time, increasing water breaks and reducing protective equipment. At 87°F, football athletes must remove protective pants and outdoor time is capped at two hours. At 89.1°F and above, equipment and exposure are restricted further. The rules apply to all students outside — including band members.

Despite the new protocols, the energy surrounding the first day of practice remained consistent with past seasons.

Navasota head football coach Trey Allen said the anticipation carried into the night before.

“The first day never gets old. The first day is always, you know, it’s hard to go to sleep at night. You’re sitting up, you’re wondering, is everybody, first of all, when you’re practicing this early, is everybody going to wake up and get here on time and all that kind of stuff. But I think we had one show up late and everybody else was here. Perhaps some of them were here an hour early. And so I think the excitement was there for them as well. And so hopefully tomorrow it’s the same thing,” Allen said.