CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- High school football fans will be back under the Friday night lights for a new season. Practices are underway across the state, and for most athletes, the past year has come with a new set of challenges on and off the field. 

What You Need To Know

  • High school football teams are back on the field for the 2021 season

  • The fall 2020 season was shifted to the spring of 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic

  • Instead of the normal eight months off, football players had less than three months before they came back for the new season

Players are quickly preparing for a tough season after only having a three-month offseason. The Charlotte Catholic High School football team started practice August 2. The team brought home the 3-A state championship title in May. 

Robert McKernan, one of the senior tight ends, says the quick turn around is giving some of his teammates less time to come back from serious injuries. 

“One of our two backs, Jason Jeffries, he had an ACL tear during the playoffs and actually luckily enough he’s going to be coming back in September," said McKernan. 

McKernan is working to catch the eyes of college scouts. Over the summer, he squeezed in college visits while trying to train. 

“As someone who’s trying to get recruited, it was kind of difficult doing that turnaround because most of July I was out of town," he said. 

McKernan also runs track. He says track helps with his running technique, but he missed out on most of the track and field season due to the overlap with the football season last year. 

“Track still picked up a little bit. So going into the summer, I did get to do a bit of running, but most of the training that I did I couldn’t do in that setting," said McKernan. "I had to do it at home or in the weight room.”

The pressure is on for the 2021 season. Charlotte Catholic has moved up to the 4-A division, and is working towards a fifth straight championship title. 

McKernan says despite the hectic 2020 season, his teammates are ready for the new division and the new challenges. ​

“I’m playing with people who have always been there, by my side going through everything," he said. "So, being able to do that again, it’s definitely something I’m excited for.”

The Cougars first game of the season is August 19 against South Mecklenburg High School.