SYRACUS, NY – High school football in New York State will be the spring sport this season.
The New York State Public High School Athletic Association has decided to take football from the fall to March 1 this year due to coronavirus concerns. Vale Lib and cheerleading, also considered high-risk activities, will also be pushed to the spring.
Lower risk sports such as tennis, golf, swimming, field hockey, cross country and soccer are on the practice start schedule from September 21.
“We’ve spent two days talking to about 50,000 athletic directors across the state and it’s clear that managing high-risk fall sports during the Covid-1p epidemic poses a significant challenge for our member schools,” said Dr. Robert Zyce, Executive Director, NYSPHSA, said in a statement: “This is an unprecedented time and, unfortunately, difficult decisions will have to be made to meet this ongoing crisis. We will continue to live. ”
Bob Kempez, co-chairman of Section III football, said he was “a little disappointed” with the move.
“I think the superintendents reserved a little bit of it. Everyone wanted to stand up and run, to take a chance. I think now it’s adding more craziness to the crazy year.
Indian Rivers coach Corey Marcel tried to keep an optimistic approach.
“We are just happy with the decision. There are definitely mixed feelings but we will learn more about the virus and how it has affected our school population and community. He said in an email. “We should also be closer to a vaccine that will allow us to focus a little more on football.”
The so-called “Fall Sports Season II”, a modified season for football, volleyball, and fall competitive fervor, is officially scheduled to begin practice on March 1, 2021.
“I’m very disappointed,” Baldwinsville Girls’ Ley Lib coach Mary Jo Serqua said of the switch. “It simply came to our notice then. At least we’ve been given a chance to play, so that’s a good thing. ”
Oswego Boys volleyball coach Eric McCroby also had mixed feelings.
“It’s hard to believe if everyone agrees with this decision. “We (coaches and players) don’t expect the end of the 2019-2020 season,” he said in an email. “However, I think it is important that we trust the decisions made by NYSPHSA and the individuals responsible for this declaration. No adult student wants to deprive an athlete of the opportunity to play a sport, but we must also be responsible and take care of their health and safety. “
As a result of the fall moving high-risk games, the start date of the spring sports season has been adjusted to April 19, 2021. The first official practice for the Spring Games will now be April 19, 2021 (the original starting date was March 15).
New York is now the 19th state or region to postpone Fall High School football.
Others are:
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Virginia
- And Washington Washington
“It would be an understatement to say I’m disappointed. I expect this decision to be made a few weeks ago, so I’m not entirely surprised, but when we were told the decision would be in the hands of individual schools, I was confident we would take our shot, “said West Genesis football coach J. Corley. Said in an email. “I, my staff, our players, their families, our community and others have sacrificed and done everything we were told to do. We deserved our shots to do that.
“I am encouraged that we will have the opportunity to play and coach the sport that we all love this spring, but there is nothing like the Friday night atmosphere in the fall. It’s a unique thing that our players won’t experience this year. This is what we live for and what we are waiting for. This hurts right now, but football will come back. ”
Meanwhile, the status of fall games in Section III is stuck in balance. Section III has sent a survey to all its 106 school districts asking for their views on the possibility of fall sports.
On Friday, the department’s executive committee will compare results and decide whether low-risk games can be played in the spring.
Lindsay Kramer Syracuse Post-Standard and syracuse.com. Got a comment or idea for a story? It can be reached by email [email protected].
