PIAA announces plans to offer ‘flexibility’ to local schools and move fall sports forward
High school sports in Pennsylvania are now permitted to move forward as planned in the fall, and the PIAA — the governing body over high school sports — announced Wednesday it will allow school districts to adjust their plans based on what is safest for their area.
“In addressing the COVID-19 crisis and how it has affected the 67 counties differently, PIAA understands the flexibility needed by school districts to make localized measured decisions, rather than a ‘one size fits all’ approach in addressing interscholastic athletics,” the PIAA said in a release. “To aid our school districts who have varied approaches to their return to school plans, PIAA has offered flexibility to schools, leagues, and/or conferences to begin contests after the first contest date.”
The announcement comes just under two weeks before football teams are allowed to begin “heat acclimatization” on Aug. 10 and just under three weeks before other fall sports will begin practice Aug. 17.
That is the regular start time for fall sports and those dates would remain the same in the PIAA’s “alternative plan.”
The alternative plan includes starting the season three weeks later, which would push the football season opener date from Aug. 28 to Sept. 18 and all other fall sports from Aug. 20 to Sept. 14.
The PIAA will also allow for schools to carry out a hybrid plan that complies with the preseason practice guidelines and can be used to properly accommodate the needs of the schools. That includes three weeks of preseason practice before contests for all sports except for golf — which requires three days — and tennis — which requires one week.
Under the hybrid plan, contests for fall sports should begin by Oct. 5, but can be delayed with a request to the local PIAA District Committee.
While the plans are in place and available to schools, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re guaranteed to carry out as expected. The state can shut down high school sports at any time during the season, and the PIAA previously stated it would adhere to any government recommendations.
“PIAA is committed to providing a season for all sports in the upcoming school year and will be flexible if conditions would change,” the governing body’s statement from July 15 read.
The potential plans come after schools have already begun workouts in football. All five Centre County schools started their workouts over the last six weeks and have enacted health and safety guidelines to keep players and coaches safe.
“We split the kids up in half,” Bald Eagle head coach Jesse Nagle told the Centre Daily Times earlier this month. “Roughly 15-20 kids will be using the weight room and outside the weight room working out. They have to wear masks, long pants and long shirts. While they’re doing that the other group is on the field doing agility work and speed work.”
All five county football programs are currently set to begin their season in the last weekend of August.
This story was originally published July 29, 2020 at 5:11 PM.
