PIAA plans for full fall seasons
PIAA Executive Director Dr. Robert Lombardi made it clear Wednesday that the state’s high school governing body intends to start fall practices and games on time and to play state tournaments to their completion, provided health conditions do no worsen.
“Let me say it loud and clear,” said Lombardi, doing his best to squash speculation about the cancellation of PIAA’s postseason. “We want to get kids moving. We want kids to be kids. We want them to do what they like to do. I’m trying to be an advocate for student-athletes and get them as much (opportunity to play) as they possibly can.”
That means voluntary workouts will continue as they have for the past few weeks, that heat acclimatization workouts for football will begin Aug. 10, that other fall sports practices will begin Aug. 17 and that the regular season will start on time, as scheduled.
Lombardi’s comments came at the conclusion of the PIAA Board of Control’s monthly meeting, which was conducted via Zoom.
The coronavirus pandemic halted the state basketball tournament and swimming championships in March and wiped out the entire spring sports schedule.
Despite an uptick in reported coronavirus cases across the state in recent weeks, and Gov. Tom Wolf’s announcement of tightened restrictions Wednesday afternoon, Lombardi was clear about the intention of the PIAA to press on.
A decision to shut down high school sports would most likely come from Gov. Wolf’s office, not the PIAA.
“If they close down schools, that’s a no-brainer (to shut down sports),” Lombardi said. “Absent closing schools, we’re going to proceed and try to get as much in as we can. PIAA is committed to providing a season for all sports and will be flexible if conditions would change.”
Lombardi said he is pleased with the health and safety guidelines developed individually by each school district and believes they are adequate in protecting student-athletes and coaches as they gather to train for the fall season.
Lombardi said the PIAA does not plan to make an across-theboard shutdown should there be an outbreak of the virus in a given school district or particular region of the state.
He also stated that each sport would be viewed individually, and that if football or wrestling, which have been classified as “highrisk,” were forced to shut down other sports would not necessarily have to follow suit.
“We’re willing to get as much (of the schedule played) as we possibly can, where we can get it,” Lombardi said. “If part of the state plays 75% (of its games) and another part plays 25%, we’re OK with that.
“We’re going to make our best effort to get whatever we can (athletically) for every student-athlete in the state. We want them to have the experience of playing athletics.”
He called it premature to talk about precise plans for the state tournaments, which are months away, but said there have been internal discussions covering different scenarios should seasons be cut short.
New York, at this point, has prohibited high school sports and is considering moving football, soccer and field hockey to the spring, with baseball and softball moving to the fall.
Lombardi called the option of moving football and other sports to the spring “a last resort” and noted that the logistics behind such a move would be enormous at this late date.
“Our intent is to play the fall as scheduled, even if it ends up in shortened fashion,” Lombardi said. “There’s a false narrative (out there) that the spring is going to be better than fall; there’s no guarantee of that. Could it come to that? Possibly, but that’s well down the road.”
Meanwhile, some neighboring states have delayed the start of their seasons.
West Virginia has delayed the start of school to Sept. 8, pushed the start of fall practices back two weeks and the start of football games one week, to Sept. 3
New Jersey has pushed practices back a month, to Sept. 14, and the start of its seasons to Sept. 28, or, in the case of football, Oct. 1.
Ohio, meanwhile, remains on its regular schedule.
Virginia has already determined there will be no football or volleyball this fall.
New Mexico has switched football and soccer to the spring.