Chico High and PV prepare for annual showdown

Two rival football teams in Chico are gearing up for their annual showdown, one that could easily not have happened.

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Two rival football teams are gearing up for their annual showdown..

One that could easily not have happened.

New at 5-thirty -- action news now reporter kristian lopez shows us how local student athletes are ensuring that the return to play -- is a safe one.

Kristian: a big rivalry game between pv and chico will take place on this field on friday but what are the protocols to make sure that students athletes stay safe?

Isaiah folger/varsity player: "a year of waiting pretty much and now we get to play, so are all happy, i mean a game is a game, we are just happy to get whatever we can right now."

Isaiah folger is a varsity football player at pleasant valley high school.

He says the team hasn't seen any covid cases and they are doing everything they can to keep playing.... isaiah folger/varsity player: we wear masks on the sidelines when we can, during water breaks when we aren't drinking water, whenever we aren't wearing our helmets we wear our masks.

I asked head football coach mark cooley what the process is when it comes to testing football players.

Mark cooley/head football coach: we've had great procotols from the very beginning, and even while we were practicing, we've only had to test one time, we've had 0 positive, now that we are in the orange tier we don't have to test anymore so we are thankful for that.

Just following protocols, keeping the social distancing, making sure they're doing things away from the school in the correct manner to make sure that is ensured.

Folger says he can't wait to go head to head with their biggest rivals in just a few days.... isaiah folger: everyone is getting the chills just thinking about it, it's crazy everyone is super excited.

Kristian: chico and pv will be battling it out on this field on friday.

In chico kristian lopez action news now coverage you can count on.

We checked with the butte county public health department and they say regular testing is*no longe* required for football, however