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Arkansas schools preparing to keep football players safe during extreme heat

It has been one of the hottest days this year, and tonight, we're kicking off football season and learning how players across Arkansas are staying safe in the heat.

ARKANSAS, USA — Lots of high school football teams kicked off the new season on Friday during extreme heat and to try and keep everyone safe, game officials decided to take extra precautions.

"This is just kind of unusual. I mean it's always low 90s but this is a little bit more intense," Catholic High School Athletic Director Tim Ezzi said.

Ezzi explained how because of the dangerous heat, they planned to take more precautions in their game against North Little Rock. 

Like all the games that were played, the start time was pushed back until 8:00 p.m.

"Each quarter they're gonna have a mandatory break in the middle of the quarter. To take some extra water there and I'm sure we'll have more water and ice on the sidelines their training staff over there is great,"  Ezzi described.

The team also had a shorter pregame, which he said usually lasts an hour and a half, but they kept it under an hour.

"You can get them out there and off the field pretty quickly," he said.

Over in Maumelle, they're taking similar precautions. 

"We'll actually have doubled the emergency personnel [that] we normally do. anticipating a large crowd. That's, that's smart to do anyway. But with this heat, you know, we want to make sure we're prepared for it," Maumelle High School's Athletic Director Kirk Horton said.

They added extra breaks too. 

"We'll have two per quarter, or more if necessary," Horton said.

Just in case the heat does get the best of someone, they had ice tubs ready. 

Athletic Trainer Dylan Thompson said it usually doesn't get to that point, but they want to be prepared.  He's also ready to help any players who may experience heat cramps. 

"We give them some water, and then would stretch out the cramps, massage it out," Thompson said.

He explained how the players should be acclimated to the heat after practicing this week, although they only did it during the cooler part of the day. 

"Hopefully they will be more responsible with their bodies and their nutrition and their hydration. I'm proud of our kids this year for the most part," he said.

According to Johnson County Westside's Superintendent, four players ended up at the hospital last night to receive fluids for dehydration and overheating.

Those players are all okay, but the high school team opted out of playing on Friday night to be safe.

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