High school sports moving football to a ‘wedge’ slot
The MIAA athletic season is one step closer to finalization — and that includes a “wedge” season that could save football.
On Monday, the MIAA COVID-19 Task Force voted to approve a series of recommendations to send to the MIAA Board of Directors on Wednesday morning. The recommendations were also presented to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and while the results of the meeting are not known, it is expected to allow kids to play this year.
The MIAA Board of Directors is required to follow any guidelines released by DESE as it pertains to the 2020-2021 athletic season.
Over the last four months, the task force of 24 members assembled by MIAA executive director Bill Gaine and MIAA Board of Directors President Jeff Granatino have worked to craft an outline of what high school athletics will look like when they are ultimately cleared to return.
Co-chaired by St. John’s Prep Principal Keith Crowley and Duxbury athletic director Thom Holdgate, the group’s work in recent weeks has transitioned into developing an outline for what the 2020-2021 athletic year will look like. On Saturday, a subgroup of the Task Force was assigned the responsibility of coming up with recommendations to present to the Board of Directors on Wednesday. Those recommendations were approved by the entire task force on Monday morning.
The most notable of these recommendations is the creation of a fourth “wedge” season between the winter and spring. This season will be used for high-risk fall sports, such as football and competitive cheer, as well as any moderate-risk fall sports that districts determine they cannot play.
The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs classifies soccer, girls volleyball, field hockey, and swimming as moderate-risk. MIAA Sport Committees will be tasked with creating modifications that meet EEA guidelines.
Any district that feels capable of implementing the proper modifications to eliminate intermittent and deliberate contact in moderaterisk sports will be able to play this fall. With the inclusion of a fourth “wedge” season, the fall season would run Sept. 14 to Nov. 20; the winter season would be played Nov. 30 to Feb. 21. The fourth “wedge season” would take place Feb. 22 to April 25, and the spring season would be April 26 to July 3.
DESE is still required to approve all recommendations set forth by the MIAA COVID-19 Task Force before they can proceed to the Board of Directors.
Member schools can adjust dates of each athletic season with their District Athletic Committee. Eliminating the out-of-season coaching restrictions for the 2020-2021 athletic year are also being considered. This would be a repeal, for a season, of rule 40 listed in the MIAA Handbook.