MPSSAA votes to allow sports season to resume in early 2021

[beall02]

The MPSSAA voted today to move forward with the plan to start HS sports in MD in early 2021. If I am reading it correctly it would allow for 5 weeks of actual competition for each season. (Winter, Fall, Spring) It mentions that they would come up with a plan for State Tournaments "as we get closer to the start." That doesn't really leave much time for a football season. I am assuming that they will still only allow one game a week. That would mean only a five week HSFB season. I will say that if it does in fact happen this way the schools in Western Maryland could play each other and only have to find one other game to fill out that season. Allegany, Fort Hill, Mountain Ridge, Northern and Southern could all play one another and all only have to find one more game to fill their schedule. We shall see what happens.

 

[TDHelmick]

The MPSSAA voted today to move forward with the plan to start HS sports in MD in early 2021. If I am reading it correctly it would allow for 5 weeks of actual competition for each season. (Winter, Fall, Spring) It mentions that they would come up with a plan for State Tournaments "as we get closer to the start." That doesn't really leave much time for a football season. I am assuming that they will still only allow one game a week. That would mean only a five week HSFB season. I will say that if it does in fact happen this way the schools in Western Maryland could play each other and only have to find one other game to fill out that season. Allegany, Fort Hill, Mountain Ridge, Northern and Southern could all play one another and all only have to find one more game to fill their schedule. We shall see what happens.

That 2nd semester plan has been in place since early July. Nothing changed when Hogan made a push to open up schools and activities last week. Games won't officially start until Feb 22 beginning with Winter Sports. The new changes are that teams are now permitted to practice and condition starting next week actually if the LSS (Local School System) votes to permit it. That would at least mean access to the school facilities, which is no different than what they were doing back in July.

Football will consist of 3 weeks of practice starting March 15 and the first of five games being played starting April 5 to May 8. There will be no post season in any sport.

I suspect this would be the Mountain Ridge Football Schedule as an example:
April 9 - at Southern
April 16 - Allegany
April 23 - Northern
April 30 - at Fort Hill
May 7 - another MD opponent

That's it. Unless COVID has other plans. Funny part about that, the COVID numbers won't be less than they are now in many Maryland counties, maybe even more cases this winter. Idiots Rule.

 

[wvbossman]

I really think that many states jumped the gun in closing schools and cancelling sports. I know that nobody likes the "kick the can" down the road that has been played out since March but it's better than the overreaction that has driven so many of the virus related decisions.

We had our first week back with students last week and everyone that I talked to in our building thought it went well and most importantly was a very positive thing for our students. They NEED to be in school and we take it one day at a time and try to be smart about what we do.

I also love that as I drive by the high school I see kids running cross country, playing soccer, football, volleyball and enjoying band. They have been doing those things for the last month and so far so good. Will we have an outbreak? I can't answer that but I hope not. I think it has been an important lesson for us to teach our students that in life you will have adversity but there is a mindset and there are ways to work through it and that a life lived in constant fear is not really a life well lived at all.