An official from the Michigan High School Athletic Association says plans for high school sports are still underway in Michigan this fall, despite moves to ban college sports in Kalamazoo, Ypsilanti and Mount Pleasant.
The Mid-American Conference announced Saturday that its football season has been postponed, taking a break from college sports at universities in Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan.
According to the Big Ten, bankruptcy sports are also being looked at for cancellation, which would affect Ann Arbor and East Lansing.
Geoff Kimmerly, media and content coordinator for Michigan High School Athletic Association, said that movements at the collegiate level across the state do not mean that high schools will follow suit.
“We are keeping a close eye on things, and not just at the High Division I level, but Division II and III, where we have leagues that consist of most schools in the state,” Kimmerly told MLive .com. “We have been looking at what is happening at those levels all summer long.
“We pay attention to what is happening at the college level, but we do not feel pressured by what is happening at the college level. Our game in terms of who we play and how close those schools are and how close the majority of opponents are is really a lot different than what happens at the university level. “
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Monday marked the first official day of practice in high schools in Michigan. Teams may wear helmets today, with the expectation that pads can be worn as of August 17th.
The season is scheduled to begin August 27-29.
Several Michigan Division III programs have been affected by the coronavirus. The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association has also canceled its fall sports season, and that is affecting more Michigan football cities. Albion, Alma, Hope College in Holland, Kalamazoo and Olivet will try to play in the spring, while Adrian and Trine will try to play a fall season.
“When you see other levels shut down and you see social media, people say the MHSAA should be next,” Kimmerly said. ‘But again, we see this differently.
‘Remember the OK conference. Many of the power schools may play schools outside the area for the first few weeks, but the last six weeks, and for the most part, seven, compete against schools in the greater Grand Rapids area. I do not want to say it’s a bubble because of what you see in the NBA and the NHL. It is not so. But it really is a confined area. Our schools in the southwest of the state generally play each other and the teams in the Upper Peninsula play mostly opponents of Upper Peninsula. ”
The MHSAA is expected to make a decision on the 2020 bankruptcy system for sports to moderate to high risk, including football, boys’ football and volleyball by 20 August.
“Keeping students and the public safe remains the governor’s top priority,” said Tiffany Brown, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “The governor is pleased that athletic conferences take the health and safety of players seriously as they weigh in on student sports decisions.”
All high school sports in Michigan are scheduled to begin practice on Wednesday.
“The thing we’ve heard the most is that coaches are excited to have their players with them, and they’ve had, really, the majority of the summer with training during the season,” Kimmerly said. “Coaches are excited to have them officially before the start of practice because they feel they can provide an opportunity to do all of this safely. They feel they can deploy protocols and train and teach with the athletes to make them as safe as possible, both when they are at practices and away from practices, at home and at jobs. “
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