Shelve the helmets, put away the pads and get ready for Friday nights to look a little different in Colorado this fall.
The Colorado High School Activities Association announced Tuesday it was moving the football season, as well as several other traditional fall sports, to spring as part of a return-to-play plan for the 2020-21 school year that includes four seasons and condensed schedules.
“First and foremost, it’s about making sure that the resumption of high school athletics and activities aligned with the educational guidelines that have been laid out for 360 public, private, and charter schools that participate,” CHSAA commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
The plan, which creates four seven-week sports seasons (Seasons A, B, C and D), will see football, volleyball, boys soccer, field hockey and gymnastics moved back to the third sports season in the spring. Additionally, teams must continue to adhere to CHSAA’s updated COVID-19 requirements and guidelines. Gov. Jared Polis said he thinks it’s a step in the right direction, and promised to attend the first official CHSAA sporting event this fall.
“I’m glad that high school youth sports are going to be back,” he said in his Tuesday news conference. “I’m glad that they are able to do every sport, and of course, just like professional sports it’s not going to be like every other season, but they will have their championships, they will have their shortened seasons, they will have their practices, and the kids will be able to participate in that.”
Football practices are now set to begin Feb. 22, with games starting March 4. The state championships are tentatively scheduled for May 8. Football will be the first sport to compete among those moved to the spring in Season C. It will also feature eight-team playoff brackets in each classification.
Cherry Creek High School senior Chase Penry, a CU Buffs commit, said he was considering enrolling early at Boulder. But with the season pushed back, he will now stay and finish out his final year.
“You obviously want to play in the fall because that’s football season, but I understand the reason they’re doing it and pushing it back to the spring,” he said. “As long as we can have our regular season, playoff games, and championships, I’ll be fine with it. If we have our parents in the stands and our student section and the fans, I’ll be 100 percent fine with it.”
However, it likely won’t work out as well for Highlands Ranch High School senior quarterback Jake Rubley — the state’s top recruit who is considering a transfer to Iowa to play this fall.
“I couldn’t play anyways because I’m an early enrollee,” Rubley said of spring football. “I’d have to go to Kansas State.”
This fall will feature a much smaller offering of sports, with boys golf, cross country, softball and boys tennis all part of Season A. It will be played from August until October before a participation moratorium is put in place in preparation for expected rising COVID-19 numbers in the fall.
Traditional winter sports boys basketball, girls basketball, cheer and wrestling will begin as part of Season B in early January and conclude in March. Beginning in late April, Season D will run until late June and will see traditional spring sports baseball, girls golf, lacrosse, track and field and girls soccer, among others, competing.
“We feel very good about the ability to not have disruptions, to not have cancellations, and to try and give every kid in the state of Colorado the opportunity to participate in a sport and in a season that they love,” Blanford-Green said.
Shawn Palmer, Rangeview High School athletic director and boys basketball coach, said it’s likely some tournaments will be canceled and districts may create their own rules about how or if events can be held. That could lead to a reduction in the number of regular-season games played.
Still, several coaches are excited to see a season happen.
“Our kids have done a great job staying focused through all the different phases and uncertainty we’ve gone through,” Chatfield High School football coach Bret McGatlin said. “To know there’s going to be a season, that encourages me.”
CHSAA’s announcement comes three weeks after Poudre School District suspended voluntary workouts in the wake of multiple athletes testing positive for COVID-19, and a week after Denver Public Schools said it would delay in-person learning for most students until mid-October.
Dakota Ridge High School head football coach Ron Woitalewicz had to tell his players to keep their heads up amid the seemingly bad news.
“You know, these are 17-year-old kids, and right now this is maybe the most important thing in your life,” he said. “I told them, ‘Be thankful, because they could’ve canceled our season.'”
"football" - Google News
August 05, 2020 at 03:54AM
https://ift.tt/33sy3Jp
CHSAA moves football, volleyball, soccer to spring as part of reopening plan with four seasons, condensed schedules - The Denver Post
"football" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2ST7s35
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "CHSAA moves football, volleyball, soccer to spring as part of reopening plan with four seasons, condensed schedules - The Denver Post"
Posting Komentar