No PAC playoffs this spring
League championships to be decided by conference record in regular season
When the Pioneer Athletic Conference spring sports regular season fully commences on April 6, the games will have special meaning considering last year’s cancellation due to the coronavirus.
The games will also have higher stakes.
Consistent with the fall and winter seasons, the PAC will compete in league-only competition and not hold league playoffs this spring which means league and division champions will be determined based on league winning percentage.
Baseball, softball and girls’ lacrosse will compete in two divisions with baseball and softball playing a balanced 16-game schedule (home-and-away in division, six crossover contests). Girls’ lacrosse has a 13-game PAC slate (home-and-away in division, three crossovers).
A conference and division champions will be declared in those three sports.
Boys’ lacrosse and tennis will compete in a single division and face every team once with a conference champion only.
Track and field will compete against its five division opponents and a champion will be declared. Any cross-division meets will not count toward the title race.
Spectator policies are based on individual school decisions under the guidance of the March 1 announcement from the Pa. government for 20-percent outdoor event occupancy. Non-gated events will have an open spectator policy for home and away fans.
All PAC schools are consistent on requirements of spectators to be masked at all times, but gated events have varied policies, for example:
BOYERTOWN » All events will be open to spectators with no admission charged.
OWEN J. ROBERTS » Fenced facilities (track and field, lacrosse) will allow 2 guests per home athlete with no visiting fans (permited to watch from outside fence).
POTTSGROVE » Pottsgrove Stadium (track and field) will be open to home and visiting fans; on Falcon Field (adjacent turf field) each home player will be allotted four guest passes with visiting spectators only allowed outside the perimeter fence
POTTSTOWN » Five guest passes will go to each home athlete for events on Grigg Memorial Stadium while visiting fans are permitted to watch outside the fence.
The Pioneer Athletic Conference independently deviated from the PIAA’s March 8 preseason starting date to avoid conflict with winter sports and moved it to March 22. Preseason is under way in all sports while boys’ tennis has begun its regular season due to lesser preseason requirements.
To adhere to the traditional postseason calendar in tennis, the PAC Singles Championships are just a week and a half away, to be held April 9-10 at Perkiomen Valley.