School sports seasons hang in the balance
Bethel Park football coach Brian DeLallo and Upper St. Clair cross country coach Doug Petrick, like many of their peers, are conflicted.
The pair of high school coaches were initially thrilled governing bodies of their sports leagues had given the go-ahead for fall activities to proceed. Yet, they were well aware those decisions could be overturned in a heartbeat.
“I support the decision to play, but at the same time I still feel like there is so much uncertainty,” said DeLallo. “It’s like we’re constantly looking over our shoulder, waiting for someone to pull the plug.”
On July 29, the PIAA announced athletics could return. They had been canceled since mid-March because of the coronavirus. The state’s governing sports body also provided a 26-page document outlining specific guidelines to help schools return to competition.
The PIAA also offered alternatives to the official regular start of the season. It would begin Aug. 10 with heat acclimatization for football. The first practice date for all activities is Aug. 17.
“We are pumped for the start of the season,” Petrick said. “The kids can’t wait to compete and race. We are going to stay positive as a group throughout the uncertainty that is currently taking place.”
On July 30, the WPIAL opted to follow a hybrid start for the fall seasons. This PIAA option allows one sport to start and others at different or later dates.
“We had a great discussion,” said WPIAL executive director Amy Scheuneman of the Board of Directors meeting. “We made an attempt to come up with the best opportunity that would allow for sports to be played.
“We felt pushing the start back gives schools and pr ograms more time to prepare and get ready. At this point it allows more flexibility to make changes if we have to do that.”
The WPIAL delayed the start of the football season until Sept. 10. The regular season will be reduced to seven games. The first scrimmage is scheduled for Sept. 3.
Golf and girls tennis can start competition Aug. 24.
All other fall sports, including cross country, girls volleyball, soccer and field hockey, are scheduled to begin Sept. 14.
“We will take having a cross country season with whatever modifications we are directed to follow,” Petrick said. “These are unprecedented times.
“We can only impact those things we can control,” he added. “So that’s where we will put our time and energy. As coaches, if we model being flexible and rolling with the changes, the athletes will follow. Right now, the whole team is focusing on the positives this season.”
There have, however, been plenty of negatives.
The Marty Uher Invitational, which normally kicks off the cross country season will not be held Sept. 4 at California University of Pennsylvania.
Some schools are canceling fall sports like football and soccer. Uniontown recently announced it will not compete in either WPIAL sport. The school board voted unanimously Aug. 3 to cancel those seasons based on Gov. Tom Wolf’s opinion he shared during a news conference that it would be hard to justify having in-person contact sports at schools if they were not having in-person classes this fall.
Scheuneman said the WPIAL is awaiting further clarity and guidance on high school sports activities from the governor’s office.
“Things may change,” she said.
On Aug. 6, they did.
In the final minute of his daily press briefing, Gov. Tom Wolf replied to a reporter’s question concerning fans attending high school sporting events by making the recommendation Pennsylvania sports be canceled until Jan. 1.
The state Department of Health and Department of Education later issued a joint news release, which said Wolf made a “strong” recommendation but it is not an order nor a mandate. The decision regarding sports should be made by elected school boards, the release said.
“We are tremendously disappointed in this decision. Our member schools have worked diligently to develop health and safety plans to allow students the safe return to interscholastic athletics,” the PIAA said in its own news release.
An Aug. 7 PIAA Board of Directors meeting on the matter did not end before presstime.
Scheuneman felt that having students in school and playing sports provide different challenges.
“Sports allow for social distance and lower numbers to comply with the mandates,” she said. “So, I think it’s possible to play sports. It’s up to the schools whether or not they think it’s safe and whether that sport should be played.”
Scheuneman said golf and tennis matches require fewer participants. In tennis, there are three singles and two doubles teams for a total of seven players from one team competing at once. In golf, there can be between five and seven competitors.
“They can be separated easily as compared to all those students in the hallways,” Scheuneman said. “Obviously, our first concern is safety.”
Petrick said USC is complying with all safety protocols. During July workouts, temperatures were checked, health screening questions were asked, hand sanitizer was provided and face coverings were required, he said.
Until training camp opens Aug. 16, the Panthers are performing preseason workouts on their own, Petrick said.
“The kids have moved towards independence,” he said. “They have either learned how to execute the workouts or improve doing them. They have put in a lot of hard work and they are motivated and ready to test the fitness they have gained.”
All the gains athletes have made during the offseason can be negated by one positive test result for COVID-19, DeLallo said.
“That’s the biggest hurdle moving forward,” he said. “What happens to their teams? What happens to their opponents? There are a lot of questions how we will handle athletes who test positive and their programs.
“If we can safely provide school and sports for kids, then we need to do so,” he added. “Kids need school and they also need extracurricular activities.”
The WPIAL and the PIAA did not make the rule. The leagues that govern high school sports in the western region and the state are just abiding by the mandates spelled out by Governor Tom Wolf and the Pennsylvania Department of Health regarding spectators at athletic events.
On July 30, the PIAA issued a clarification after receiving inquiries regarding the ability of fans attending school sporting events.
“This is not a PIAA decision,” emphasized the league. “The PIAA is following the sports guidelines put forth by the Wolf Administration.”
Issued June 10 and updated July 15, the PA DOH provided guidance for all sports permitted to operate during the COVID-19 disaster emergency to ensure the safety and health of employees, athletes and the public. It outlined stipulations for professional and collegiate ranks as well as amateur to scholastic athletes.
The release noted that the resumption of sports-related activities, including conditioning, practices and games is at a school’s governing body. Each entity had to develop and adopt a health and safety plan that aligned with the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s preliminary guidance for phased reopening prior to conducting sports-related activities.
The statement also reiterated the limitations placed on gatherings and that events must adhere to the parameters in place during the Governor’s Plan for Phased Reopening. Only 250 are permitted at outdoor venues and 25 indoors.
Sports-related activities are limited to student athletes, coaches, officials and staff only. The list does not include bands or cheerleaders.
Also, the addition of visitors and spectators will be continent upon future health conditions within the state and local communities.
“That’s the state of affairs,” said WPIAL executive director Amy Scheuneman. “The WPIAL had nothing to do with the decision.
“We hope further guidance is forthcoming. We’ve reached out for an update but we do not know when or if changes are coming.”
While the governor and the departments of health and education strongly recommended on Aug. 6 that high school sports be suspended until the start of 2021, the edict is not yet a mandate.
As far as Scheuneman is concerned bands as well as fans and cheerleaders contribute to the Friday Night Light experience as much as the teams on the field.
“They’re integral. They all play into the atmosphere of an event. Especially if there are not going to be fans, the bands would provide a better atmosphere for the game. It’s an opportunity for more students to be part of something, too,” she explained.