Private schools can return with an open schedule

Schools competing in Maryland’s two largest private high school athletic organizations will have the option to play an open schedule this fall, Baltimore Sun Media has learned.

The Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association and Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland, which oversee dozens of private schools in the state, will allow member schools to play unaffiliated. There won’t be an official start date to the season since individual schools will have the ability to create their own schedules.

A formal announcement by the leagues is expected Monday.

The private schools could be the first high schools in the Baltimore-Washington metro area to return to interscholastic athletics amid the coronavirus pandemic. The MIAA and IAAM fall seasons were originally postponed indefinitely Aug. 13 and the leagues postponed the vote once again for a restart after meeting Thursday. Members of the MIAA and IAAM met Friday to approve the plan. Many private school teams have been conditioning or practicing over the last month.

Garrett, Washington and Allegany are the only counties in Maryland to decide on an October return; nearly every other system, including Anne Arundel and Harford counties, has opted for the later start in February. Howard County on Thursday announced it would not return in October.

Carroll County, which discussed the topic at length in a meeting Wednesday night, has decided to push back making a decision until next week. According to sources familiar with the situation, the leagues considered several options for a return to play: resume sports in October or in November, allow open play or postpone sports until the spring.