PA tennis ahead of schedule
The coronavirus pandemic has caused headaches for high school teams around the state in more ways than one.
Aside from putting an end to sports seasons in the spring, covid-19 has had fall activities in flux for much of the summer, ultimately causing scheduling issues for many.
Pre-planning kept Pulaski Academy, the reigning Class 4A state tennis champions, from encountering those problems.
For a vast majority of teams, schedules are completed several months in advance before a season begins. Pulaski Academy Coach Bill Topich used that methodology to create a schedule for his boys and girls teams long before the pandemic caused disruptions.
That process also helped Pulaski Academy land a high-profile matchup with Fayetteville on Tuesday in North Little Rock.
“That’s usually what I always try to do,” Topich said. “We try to find highcaliber opponents to keep the kids sharp during the regular season. Even before Covid-19 was a factor, we were looking at Fayetteville, knowing that they always have a strong team in 6A and that we have a strong team in 4A.
“We had actually been planning that match out at the end of last season during the overall tournament. Me and [Fayetteville] Coach [Darin] Phelan were talking about getting together for it, and I’m thankful that we were able to set it up.”
Golf, tennis and cross country were the first sports allowed by the Arkansas Activities Association to carry on with their fall seasons. That ruling came July 23, which gave teams enough time to not only prepare but also complete their schedules if they hadn’t already done so.
However, there was no such worry for the Bruins and Lady Bruins.
“[Fayetteville] graciously traveled down here, which was nice,” Topich said. “They always have a solid program and are always well coached. It’s always great to be able to play up a division and see on of the better 6A teams in the state.
“But that’s what we want. We want to play the best teams that we can play, especially early, because it toughens you up for the challenges that will come later.”
Some programs had no choice but to alter their schedules.
The AAA allowed football teams to hold fullcontact practices in early August. Since then, some players tested positive for the virus, forcing teams such as Harding Academy and Clarksville to cancel their football season openers and leave their original opponents, Bald Knob and Ozark, scrambling to find replacements.