Plenty of prep time for ENMU football

PORTALES — Kelley Lee and his staff have never had so much time to prepare for a football season.

Of course, it’s not by choice. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA earlier this month suspended sports activities at its Division II and III levels until at least early 2021.

That means football, along with other sports such as cross county, volleyball and men’s and women’s soccer, are looking at shorter seasons during the spring, if they get the go-ahead. Also, the start of the basketball season has been pushed back.

“This is the first time in 24 years that I’m not getting ready for a football season,” said Lee, who was entering his ninth year with the ENMU football program and fourth season at the helm.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do. I’ve told my coaches they can probably go hunting for the first time in years, (because) hunting is usually during the football season.”

With the unexpected down time, Kelley said he and his staff have been watching film of other programs who run an offense similar to the Hounds’ triple-option attack.

Unlike many of their LSC rivals, ENMU players and students will take courses online during the fall. The school is working with the LSC on potential scheduling in the spring for football, as well as other fall sports.

“The kids are not on campus,” said Lee, who has around 110 players in the program. “They’re following a workout set up by (strength and conditioning) coach (Larry) Varnado. In a few weeks, we’ll start doing more virtual stuff to keep (the players) engaged.

“When we get back in January we’ll be able to start. There should be about four or five weeks before the first game.”

That will obviously depend on where the virus is at that time.

“We want to make sure we keep our kids safe, first and foremost,” Kelley said.

With the relatively quick turnaround to the 2021-22 school year, Lee said he thinks the football season could be anywhere from five to nine games, probably starting in early March, but added: “There’s nothing definite yet.”

Since he took over for Josh Lynn in 2017, ENMU has posted a pair of eight-win seasons under Kelley, who right now has the best winning percentage (21-12, .636) of any coach in school history. The Greyhounds posted an 8-4 record in 2019, including 4-4 in the Lone Star Conference, and capped the season with a 20-13 Heritage Bowl victory over Southern Arkansas on Dec. 7, the school’s first bowl win all-time.