Phoenixville recommends return to competition
Recommendation pending school board approval Oct. 12
Another Pioneer Athletic Conference school is preparing to make a full return to fall sports. Phoenixville’s fall sports teams began official practices on Monday.
In a letter sent Monday, Phoenixville Athletic Director Don Grinstead announced Superintendent Alan Fegley had recommended the official start for all Phoenixville Area High School sports to the school board.
The Phantoms’ girls and boys golf and girls tennis teams are currently the only ones competing. Phoenixville’s girls and boys soccer, fieldhockey, boys and girls cross country, girls volleyball and football teams are hoping that the recommendation to play fall sports will be approved by the school board at its next meeting Oct. 12.
“What need to be very clear from our standpoint is that this is a recommendation by the school district to our school board,” Grinstead told The Mercury. “Our next school board meeting isn’t until Oct. 12 and this will be voted on at that time. But in order for us, because the fall season ismoving very quickly, we needed to be prepared and start themandatory practices in order to have our kids ready.”
At last Wednesday’s school board meeting, Fegley reviewed the coronavirus infection rate metrics the Phoenixville school district will use to consider allowing some athletic competition and a return to partial in-person instruction.
While one board member pushed to reinstate fall sports sooner, a decision on whether the metrics are adequate to allow those measures to move forward was scheduled for Oct. 12.
The Phoenixville teams that weren’t competing had been attending voluntary workouts in small groups since July and recently were approved to scrimmage.
Starting official practices Monday, means the Phantoms will be allowed to begin competition the week of Oct. 12 if the school board approves the recommendation to play. The PIAA requires 15 consecutive days of practice before allowing teams to begincompetition.
“Wewant to be very clear that our school board has to vote Oct. 12,” Grinstead said. “But for us to be proactive and have a semblance of a fall season, we needed to put together practices now and make sure we get the propermandatory practices in just to be prepared.”
If Phoenixville’s full return is approved it would bring the PAC total to 10 schools competing fully in the Fall 2020 season.
Fellow PAC Frontier schools Upper Merion and Pope John Paul II opted into the fall season on Friday, while Pottsgrove also announced last week its football team would be joining its other sports and playing this fall. Norristown and Pottstown are still out of the fall season.
The already participating PACschools began their seasons Friday. Putting together schedules will be a challenge for Phoenixville and the other late joiners as the other teams already have their schedules in place.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us over the next few weeks,” Grinstead said in the letter. “Today, teams will begin official preparation for competitions, and the athletic department will begin seeking and securing opponents for fall sports.
“As most of you are aware, we are weeks behind our PAC conference counterparts and will need to be creative in our scheduling to give our studentathletes a semblance of a fall season. Nothing is normal or typical in our current climate, so we ask for your patience and understanding as we do the best we can to pull this fall off.”
With its football team getting set for action, Phoenixville also recently made a decision on who will lead the Phantoms on the gridirion for the near future. Assitant coach Anthony Cirello will be the Phantoms’ interim head football coach for the 2020 season.
Grinstead performed the role of Phantoms’ head football coach the past two seasons, but he officially took over as Phoenixville’s athletic director July 1 andwill relinquish his coaching duties this season.