Early college enrollees face decision on prep playoffs
MHSAA resumes football with regional play on Jan. 2
The high school football careers of Donovan Edwards, Brendan Sullivan, Kobe and Kalen King and several other high-profile players may not be over just yet after all.
The Michigan High School Athletic Association, in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, announced Friday the football season is back on and practice resumes Monday.
The MHSAA expects the 11-player regional finals will resume Jan. 2, the same day as the 8-player semifinals. No spectators will be permitted to attend any remaining games.
The 11-player semifinals will be Jan. 9, which is when the 8-player championship games will be played in Midland.
The 11-player state championship games will be Jan.15 and 16 and the MHSAA hopes to hold them in Ford Field.
The MHSAA also received the go-ahead to complete the volleyball state tournament.
The quarterfinals will be Jan. 5 and the semifinals and finals will be Jan. 7-9 in Battle Creek’s Kellogg Arena.
The girls swimming and diving finals will be helped Jan. 15-16 at the three previously determined sites.
An integral part of the new order issued by MDHHS director Robert Gordon is that the athletes must be part of an MDHHS approved pilot program that includes antigen testing, which comes at no cost to the schools.
It was also important than only 72 teams remain in the football playoffs.
“This is a very limited number of schools that had seasons interrupted,” Gordon said. “This will be a chance to do two things: It will let students complete a season that, of course, is very important to them. It will let schools and the state of Michigan work together to learn how we can use antigen tests to encourage safe re-opening in January.”
The MHSAA has been determined to finish all fall sports seasons.
“What it’s going to allow is for kids to have some closure to their fall seasons over the next 29 days,” said MHSAA executive director Mark Uyl. “We have been able to get our dates in place. Part of the testing program that’s required is there will be a rapid test that we’ll get to schools here shortly.
“We’re still working through some of the details on how the exact process will work. Essentially, there will be some testing in place.”
Winter sports, however, cannot begin practice until Jan 16, which is not the MHSAA’s decision. Uyl said he expects to share the exact details of the winter sports’ season by Tuesday.
The playoffs were initially halted by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for three weeks after the first three rounds. The MHSAA planned to resume practice Dec. 9 and complete the playoffs before the New Year. But Whitmer extended the order for at least 12 days, and the players who were going to enroll early in college figured their careers were over.
But the latest schedule has some of them wondering whether they can play in the playoffs before enrolling early.
“My mind is going everywhere right now,” said Sullivan, who quarterbacked Davison to last season’s Division 1 state title. “There’s definitely a possibility of playing now.”
Sullivan signed with Northwestern, which has the players coming in between Jan. 4-8 to begin a 10-day quarantine period.
“That’s something I have to talk about with my parents and coaches at Davison and the coaches at Northwestern,” he said. “The decision is going to be a tough one, but it’s something I’ve got to decide with my family.”
Davison is set to play Novi Detroit Catholic Central in the regional final and Davison coach Jake Weingartz was trying to figure how long he might have Sullivan in the lineup.
“’We could technically have him the CC game, and maybe even the semifinals, but probably not the finals,” Weingartz said. “I think they would give guys like him and Donovan Edwards a little bit of leeway because they can do all of their classes remotely.”
At Wednesday’s signing ceremony, Edwards, who is headed to Michigan, said he was disappointed he couldn’t complete the state playoffs this season.
But all of that may have changed Friday. “When I told him about the news he said: ‘Oh, really,’ “said Edwards’ father, Kevin. “Is that going to be awesome or what?”
Edwards’ father said he was positive his son would stick around home long enough to finish the high school season.
“He wants that championship,” his father said. “He’s been waiting on this moment. This is a great opportunity. I’m sure he’s playing. He wants to get that ring.”
This has been a magical season at East Lansing, which is unbeaten for the first time since 1980. The Trojans will host defending Division 2 state champ Muskegon Mona Shores in the regional final.
East Lansing’s chances in that game took a severe hit when the playoffs were halted because wide receiver Andrel Anthony Jr. signed with Michigan and offensive tackle Ethan Boyd signed with Michigan State and both are scheduled to enroll in January.
“I just talked to them both,” said East Lansing coach Bill Feraco. “It looks like they will have graduated from high school, but it looks favorable that we’ll have both Andrel and Ethan.”
Actually being graduates will have no bearing on their eligibility to play in the playoffs. Seniors in baseball and softball routinely graduate before the tournaments are completed.
Detroit Cass coach Thomas Wilcher expects six of his seniors to enroll early in colleges, including Kobe and Kalen King, who signed with Penn State, and Raheem Anderson, who signed with U-M.
But now No. 3 Cass could be at full strength when it plays at No. 1 Belleville in the regional final
“It’s OK that the kids have an opportunity to play,” said Wilcher. “But the timing . . . we’re going to meet with the kids and see what they want to do. You’ve got to get the kids ready to go and they’re not used to these kinds of conditions. It’s going to be bear.”
The weather conditions at this time of year will be an adjustment, and not just for the players.
“Am I tickled about practicing in January and December?” Feraco asked with a chuckle. “Well, I’ll tell you what, this whole thing warms me up so I’ll be just fine.”
With a much later start than normal for winter sports, the MHSAA may push the end of the winter sports season back a couple of weeks without causing havoc to the spring sports.
“If we’re able to get started by mid-January, finish up all of our winter tournaments by the end of March,” Uyl said, “I think the overlap with spring and winter sports really isn’t going to be that much different than what it would be in most normal years.”