North Carolina private high schools plan to play sports, including football, this fall
The N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association plans to play high school football this fall.
NCISAA executive director Homar Ramirez told the Observer on Monday that all fall sports except football can begin practice Aug. 10 and start playing the week of Aug. 31. That is provided that the state of North Carolina is in Phase 3 of its reopening plan. The state is currently in Phase 2.
The original fall sports practice date was July 27.
Ramirez said high school football teams cannot to play games until Sept. 4. A first practice date has not been set, he said. The NCISAA plans an additional meeting with football coaches next week to discuss the start of practice, and other topics.
“We have a board of advisors,” Ramirez said, “and just like every other state association, we have a Sports Advisory committee and using info from them, the CDC, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, collectively, we landed on a decision that once we’re in Phase 3, once our member schools have an opportunity to start the academic year, we wanted to then allow sports a chance to start with practice and gradually work into contests, first with low and moderate risk sports.”
There are 97 NCISAA schools, 35 of which play high school football.
The state’s public schools, more than 400 in the N.C. High School Athletic Association, will not start fall practice until at least Sept. 1. The NCHSAA, like the private schools, were forced to cancel spring sports due to the pandemic in March.
In early June, NCISAA schools began non-contact summer workouts, including many in Mecklenburg County. The NCHSAA allowed summer workouts to begin June 15. Charlotte-Mecklenburg and Wake County Schools are among several that have not started workouts and do not have a date to begin.
Nationally, California, New Mexico and Virginia have pushed high school football to the spring. The S.C. High School League voted down a proposal to move football to spring 16-1. Instead, S.C. teams will begin fall sports practices Aug. 17 instead of the original plan for July 30.
High school football games will not start until September in South Carolina at the earliest. Teams will play a shortened season with a shortened playoffs.
Ramirez said if sports are delayed due to the state not moving into Phase 3, or were delayed due to outbreaks once the season began, there were multiple contingency plans. Most include delays and shortening seasons or playoffs.
Asked if moving fall sports to spring, Ramirez said, “That’s a discussion.”
“We made the decision today to give our member schools a target date with the information we have today,” Ramirez said. “But we have prefaced every meeting, and there have been several, that plans are subject to change.”
This story was originally published July 20, 2020 at 3:38 PM.
