Excitement met caution. Hope collided with the unknown.

Monday’s first day of summer high school strength and conditioning programs across the state of Texas was the initial step.

Athletes in all sports were greeted with whistles, thermometers and questionnaires asking about their health. That also went for the coaches.

"Overall, it was great to be back with our kids and be working,’’ Royse City head coach David Petroff said. “Never had to have coaches meeting players at the door with thermometers.’

’The University Interscholastic League allowed high schools to restart these programs after schools were shut down in mid-March amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Offseason programs were stopped. There was no spring football.

However, the athletes were ready to return. The following participation numbers broken into the school have multiple sessions:

>139 participated at Royse City.

>600 at Arlington Martin.>75 attended North Forney.

>70 showed up at Duncanville but coaches purposely kept the number low because they wanted to be sure all protocols were in place and effective before they allowed bigger numbers.

>520 (300 football) were at Waco Midway.

>200 attended at Cedar Hill.>320 arrived at DeSoto.

>Around 220 were at Denton Guyer.

>About 200 at Tyler Lee.

The UIL sent all high school coaches a guide on procedures and protocols on how to conduct these summer workouts. It included screening the athletes, cleaning procedures and how many could be considered in group, especially when it comes to work in the weight room. That includes cleaning whatever equipment was used outside.

Texas is in Phase 3 of re-opening. Baylor is scheduled to start its on-boarding session with its athletes leading up to voluntary workouts on June. 15.

“We followed all of the UIL protocols they had in place,’’ DeSoto coach Claude Mathis said. “We made the players keep their shirts on and masks on in the weight room.“We also had coaches monitoring the social distancing very closely. We they got really tired that’s when we had to stay on them. I expect our kids to really continue to get better at this at all times.’’

There was a case at one high school where 10 athletes were sent home because they didn’t complete the paperwork properly. This daily screening will occur for however long the programs last.Of course, the high schools can’t test for COVID-19. All they can do is check for symptoms starting with temperature checks.

At Royse City, Petroff said the staff cleans and disinfects 27 times during the workouts. That’s three stations with nine different groups. Then the custodians clean when the workout has finished prior to when the female athletes arrive. The process was repeated after they leave. All equipment is then sanitized the next morning prior to workouts beginning.

Waco Midway head coach Jeff Hulme said because his school has two different weight rooms, they were used. Athletes were spaced out at every other rack to maintain social distancing.

In Duncanville, weights were disinfected before an athlete touched them. The athletes remained in the same group. Water was not shared. Locker rooms were closed.

“We have to be smart and do our part to keep make sure the numbers keep dropping,’’ new Denton Guyer head coach Rodney Webb said. “So far, everything has been encouraging.’’

All coaches interviewed for this story said the athletes were very compliant about maintaining social distancing during any drills. “They understand what’s at stake,’’ Webb said. The only challenge is on any kind of weight discipline where a spotter is needed. That’s where the mask is needed the most.

There is no guarantee that Texas will have a 2020 high school football season. Its future may depend on the success of these conditioning programs. Should the results be mostly favorable and the path continues forward, the next issue to grapple with is how to deal with contact drills. After all, football is a contact sport.

“We will follow the UIL rules but there is nothing we can really do besides that,’’ Mathis said. “We just have to make sure we are doing everything possible in order to keep our kids safe. And pray!”