Sports

Cedar Shoals High School's Football Program Working to Reduce Head Injuries

Chris Davis is the head football coach at Cedar Shoals.

By Anisa Sullivan Jimenez

Cedar Shoals High School is one of 25 high school football programs in the nation to pilot Heads Up Football – a program aimed at reducing helmet hits and raising concussion awareness.

"Cedar Shoals is honored to be the only school in Georgia that is a part of USA Football's pilot Heads Up Program at the high school level. We are committed to making the game safer through this initiative,” said Cedar Shoals’ head football coach, Chris Davis.

Just last week, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) announced its endorsement of the program. Main components are a designated safety coach for each league, certification for all coaches via an online course and safety clinics including parents. The style of tackling that the program emphasizes is striking a blow to the shoulders, rather than the head.

“For our coaches to go through training aimed at correct tackling techniques will ensure a safer game for all,” said Roger Edmonds, Cedar Shoals’ athletic director.

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Around 2,800 youth leagues have already adopted the program, and this next phase involves high schools. NFHS is the national leadership organization for more than 19,000 high schools and Cedar Shoals was the only school chosen from Georgia to participate in this pilot phase.


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