There are about four months left in D.C.’s school year, and some senior football players are growing nervous.

Because of the pandemic, many of them haven’t been able to play competitively in months. That means college recruiters haven’t seen them play, and they haven’t been able to collect film to send to prospective schools.

“The [players] didn’t have their spring evaluation period — which is [when] all the colleges are on the road, coming by schools, watching kids workout, [and] watching film. [Players] didn’t get that opportunity because of COVID,” says Minoso Rodgers, head football coach at Woodrow Wilson High School in Ward 3.

In December, Mayor Bowser issued an order that prohibits high contact sports, including football, from practice and competitions. In late January, the DC State Athletic Association announced that because the order extends through mid-March, fall and winter sports championships were canceled. These games are typically the time when college recruiters look for talent.

Now, DCPS coaches, student athletes, and parents are asking that Mayor Bowser compromise restrictions and allow for players to practice and play games so that they can include film in their applications to college recruiters. Earlier this month, 12 parents and 6 football coaches met virtually to discuss concerns about college affordability without athletic scholarships and an action plan to convince Mayor Bowser to lift restrictions.

The Mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment about these parents’ concerns, or the possibility that D.C. high schoolers could miss out on college scholarships given current city policies.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that “high intensity activities” like youth sports are safer when done outdoors, compared to indoors. However, it adds that some close-contact sports — including basketball and wrestling — come with heightened risks, including close proximity for extended periods of time, high levels of exertion, and use of shared equipment. D.C.’s rules around high contact sports are stricter than those in Maryland and Virginia, which are both allowing fall sports to resume.

“Everyone is writing letters to get the ball rolling. But parents are willing to protest, willing to do anything,” says Danny Page Sr., the parent of a student athlete and a football coach at Woodrow Wilson High School. The group of parents and coaches plans to send the letters to the mayor later this week. In addition, the group is planning a social media campaign and online petition.

Page’s son, Danny Page Jr., is a senior and a running back and linebacker on the high school football team. Page Jr. has a 4.39 GPA and earned a 1200 on the SAT, he says. While he’s earned academic college scholarships that cover part of his tuition, he’s worried his parents will have to scramble to cover the remaining amount if he can’t gather film to submit to recruiters.

“I’m getting money as far as academic wise, but I plan to get more money through sports … to pay for everything,” Danny says. “If I don’t have [a] sports [scholarship], then my parents are going to have to come out their pocket and try to figure out a way to pay.”

While Page Jr. is worried about finances and not having a portfolio to submit, other student athletes who have the means are joining football clubs outside of the District, so that they still have something to present to recruiters, says Clark Ray, executive director of the DC State Athletic Association .

“[Parents] that have good income, if their kid wants to go play in a club team in another jurisdiction, that kid has that opportunity because [their parents have the] financial means,” Ray says. “And then we have a large section of our kids, mainly Black and Brown kids, who don’t have that opportunity because they … just don’t have the financial means.”

Danny hasn’t played a game since November 2019. He says that he’s willing to wear masks and take the vaccine if that’s what it takes to play. Rodgers says the same is true about all the kids on his team at Woodrow Wilson High School.

Concerns about college aren’t the only reason coaches and parents want D.C. to start sports back up. They say younger players profoundly need the structure and support of their teams — for them, football is an outlet, Rodgers says.

“We can talk about the number of teenage deaths we’ve had over the last 12 months. We could talk about the possible number of dropouts,” says Rodgers.

There have been 21 homicides this year, compared to 18 homicides at this time last year. At the end of January, Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White asked the District to declare a state of emergency in response to gun violence. Last year, the city recorded 198 homicides, a 21% increase from 2019 — and the highest body count in D.C. in 15 years.

Page Jr. says his friend, Taijhon Wyatt, Jr., 17, with whom he often played basketball, was shot and killed in Northwest in August.

“Since [the recreation center] was closed down, it was really nowhere for us to go,” says Page Jr..

Deittra Flemmings, a grandparent and guardian of a 15-year-old Ballou High School student, joined the call with other parents last week.

“Since they took away football, he’s going back to his normal behavior, which is staying out and running the streets,” Flemmings, 57, told DCist. “Him not having anything to help ground him is hurting him.”

Flemmings said that her grandson’s GPA has slipped, dropping from a 2.5 during the first quarter to a 1.9 the second quarter. She’s worried that he won’t make it to college because he’s turning to the streets.

“I think he’s gonna drop out. I think he’s gonna end up failing. And he’s gonna start being in the streets full time, [and if he does that] he’s gonna end up in one or two places, the grave or jail,” says Flemmings. “[The team gives him] structure, discipline, teamwork, unity, and plus the coaches care.”