Washington pushes most high school sports to spring

It was the decision we all knew was coming but hoped would not: Most high school sports are off for the fall, including football.

High school sports face many obstacles as school year nears

The Friday Night Lights will be dark this fall as football, and most other fall sports, are the latest casualties of the pandemic. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) really had no choice considering the current state of COVID-19 in the state. Under the governor’s phased reopening, football wasn’t even going to be allowed until Phase 4. That’s simply not happening by next month.

WIAA board president Greg Whitmore said during a video conference Tuesday that the decision was excruciating.

“I don’t think there was anyone in the board room that felt that we could get the high risk sport of football played this fall,” he said. “It doesn’t look like the state of COVID and everything else was going to allow us to do that.”

Football, volleyball, girls soccer, and small schools’ boys soccer will now be pushed to early spring.

The school year will have four seasons instead of three, with football and the others squeezed after basketball season and before baseball season.

The low-risk, low-contact sports of cross country, swimming, golf, and tennis, for those who normally play those sports in the fall, are scheduled, but Whitmore said they are at risk.

WA high schools hopeful for return of fall sports

“We’ve kept some low risk sports as options, and we know those are at great peril too,” he said. “A lot of things have to happen in our favor in order for those to happen.”

While the sports are still alive on paper, WIAA executive director Mick Hoffman said there is no guarantee your child will have an opportunity to play this school year.

“Because this is happening so incredibly fast, we want to make sure we are giving information for schools to plan, but also make sure that everybody understands that when you look at dates, those are definitely written in pencil,” he said.

Here is how the four seasons will break down:

• Season One: September 7 to November 8 — Cross country, slow-pitch softball, girls swimming and diving, golf, and tennis.
• Season Two: January 4 to March 7 — Basketball, bowling, boys swimming and diving, gymnastics, cheerleading, and wrestling.
• Season Three: March 7 to May 2 — Football, girls and small-school boys soccer, and volleyball.
• Season Four: April 26 to June 27 — Baseball, fastpitch softball, boys soccer, track and field, and golf.

The WIAA hasn’t made any decisions about championships or how they would work. It might come down to regional champions and multiple schools claiming titles for the same sports.

There is also a concern that even if the sports are given the OK to play, there won’t be enough officials. The lack of officials is already well documented, but a recent survey showed 30% of officials weren’t comfortable calling games because of the virus.

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