Four scenarios SC high schools could face for playing sports seasons in COVID-19 era
With the chance of having a normal fall high school sports season in jeopardy, some South Carolina coaches are offering alternative scenarios that could help shape how things come together for the 2020-21 school year.
The S.C. Football Coaches Association board of directors met Wednesday to discuss possible alternatives for the fall season should there be a disruption because of the spike in coronavirus cases around the state.
The group’s four suggested options range from a normal season as scheduled all the way to holding off on all sports entirely until January if necessary. The S.C. High School League executive committee has the final say on what the athletic calendar looks like.
“Our priority is to keep South Carolina’s youth safe and healthy at all costs,” S.C. Football Coaches Association president Jimmy Noonan said in a letter to the state’s coaches and obtained by The State. “We also recognize the importance that athletics plays in their lives and their futures as we strive to provide a safe environment for them that complies with all regulations in this new world of a global pandemic.
“Our recommendations were developed should those making the decisions for the state and local communities need or desire our input in moving forward.”
▪ Plan A would include sticking with the normal athletic calendar in hopes the COVID-19 numbers decrease to the point that normal academic and athletic activities are possible. Most coaches acknowledge that scenario seems unlikely to happen.
▪ In Plan B, games wouldn’t begin until mid-September and schools would be restricted to two scrimmages. The number of games for a sport’s season would be limited and focused on region play. Playoffs would be reduced but would finish consistently with dates already on the athletic calendar.
▪ Under Plan C, the athletic calendar would be rearranged with low-risk sports being played in the fall, moderate risk sports in winter and high risk sports in spring.
According to the National High School Federation, low risk sports include cross country, golf, tennis, swimming, and track and field. Moderate risk sports are baseball, basketball, volleyball, softball and soccer. High risk sports are wrestling, football, boys lacrosse and competitive cheer.
This scenario might be difficult because of all the schedules that would have to be changed. Each sport playing a reduced schedule also is part of this plan. There is a risk to moving spring sports to fall, if a fall season ends up not being played. Spring sports just had their seasons end early because of the coronavirus.
▪ According to Plan D, there would be no sports played in the first semester of school. All sports would be played in the second semester, or starting in January. Each season would last just two months and only region champions would make the playoffs.
This “is one that needs to be on the backburner but at least acknowledged,” Noonan wrote of that plan.
The Palmetto State has been at or above record daily coronavirus case counts over the last three weeks. S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster issued a warning during a news conference warning Wednesday that said the high school and college football seasons are in jeopardy because of COVID-trends.
McMaster’s current executive order bans such things as spectator sports, concerts and movie theaters. That ban will remain in place until the state turns the corner with the coronavirus, he said.
“I will not remove those restrictions. I cannot lift those restrictions, if these numbers continue to rise and the danger persists. I can’t do it. I won’t do it,” McMaster said. “This fall will not be like other falls. We will not be able to have college football. We will not be able to have high school football.”
South Carolina public schools got the go-ahead to begin summer workouts June 8. But since then, many districts have pulled the plug or delayed the start of those activities because of the increase in new COVID-19 cases.
SCHSL commissioner Jerome Singleton last week said he isn’t optimistic about playing sports in the fall unless the COVID-19 outlook changes in the state. Singleton also said the organization has been going over possible scenarios to try and have sports played in the fall.
Assuming the virus numbers start to go down and school is in session in the fall, the S.C. Football Coaches Association board wanted to have some alternatives in place to bring before the SCHSL if and when a final decision has to be made about the athletic calendar. Other states have started that process in putting different scenarios in place for their sports seasons.
The coaches association plans to meet again soon to discuss the proposal and to gauge feedback from members.
The association “created options and goals with the initial focus being the least disruptive to the athletic calendar,” Noonan wrote in his memo. “However, we recognize this may be futile with the increasing COVID-19 numbers. We are prepared to make adjustments to the fall season or even rearrange the athletic calendar year with the health and safety of all athletes/sports in mind. We recognize COVID-19 is in control of these decisions.”
This story was originally published July 2, 2020 at 4:46 PM with the headline "Four scenarios SC high schools could face for playing sports seasons in COVID-19 era."
