Governor’s reopening plan may result in football being played in early 2021
North Carolina high school sports will be further delayed after Governor Roy Cooper’s announcement last week that Phase 2 of the state’s reopening plan will now be delayed until at least September 11.
Kings Mountain, which has been holding fall sports workouts for several weeks, will be off this week and next and will resume workouts the week after the first full week of school.
But, that doesn’t mean the Mountaineers will be playing anytime soon.
The North Carolina High School Athletic Association has announced that the start of school sports practice will be delayed beyond the previously announced date of September 1.
Que Tucker, Executive Director of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, issued the following statement:
“The NCHSAA Staff and Board of Directors will review all available options, seek input from SMAC, DPI, a sports Ad Hoc Committee, and announce a calendar for playing sports during the upcoming school year. It is hoped that we can make this announcement prior to August 17, 2020.
“We want to play sports during the upcoming school year and are making plans to do so; however, the health and safety of all participants, including coaches and other essential staff, will be a priority as decisions and plans are made.”
KM athletic director Matt Bridges and head football coach Greg Lloyd are confident that all sports will be played, but some fall sports such as football could be played after the first of the year. If football is played in the fall, there is speculation that it would be a seven-game regular season schedule and four playoff rounds.
“We’ll keep doing workouts,” Lloyd said. “I do think we’re going to play football whether it’s in the fall or the spring. Right now we’re just kind of waiting.”
There has been some talk that basketball could begin in November and go through January, and football begin in February and end in early April.
“Whenever we play we’ll have to look at it positively,” Lloyd said. “We’re going to have a good team. We want to play whenever we can play.”
There has also been speculation that if football is played in the fall there would be no spectators, and no one wants to see that since football provides about 75 percent of the funds needed to fund a total athletic program.
“We still hope to be playing low risk sports in the fall, things like cross country, tennis and golf,” Bridges noted. “And then play everything else in the second semester. Things like volleyball, soccer and football are a higher risk.
“We may have to create a third season (for sports like baseball and softball) during the spring semester. A lot of spring coaches also coach other sports,” Bridges noted.
Bridges said he expects an announcement from the NCHSAA by the end of this week.
Kings Mountain, which has been holding fall sports workouts for several weeks, will be off this week and next and will resume workouts the week after the first full week of school.
But, that doesn’t mean the Mountaineers will be playing anytime soon.
The North Carolina High School Athletic Association has announced that the start of school sports practice will be delayed beyond the previously announced date of September 1.
Que Tucker, Executive Director of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, issued the following statement:
“The NCHSAA Staff and Board of Directors will review all available options, seek input from SMAC, DPI, a sports Ad Hoc Committee, and announce a calendar for playing sports during the upcoming school year. It is hoped that we can make this announcement prior to August 17, 2020.
“We want to play sports during the upcoming school year and are making plans to do so; however, the health and safety of all participants, including coaches and other essential staff, will be a priority as decisions and plans are made.”
KM athletic director Matt Bridges and head football coach Greg Lloyd are confident that all sports will be played, but some fall sports such as football could be played after the first of the year. If football is played in the fall, there is speculation that it would be a seven-game regular season schedule and four playoff rounds.
“We’ll keep doing workouts,” Lloyd said. “I do think we’re going to play football whether it’s in the fall or the spring. Right now we’re just kind of waiting.”
There has been some talk that basketball could begin in November and go through January, and football begin in February and end in early April.
“Whenever we play we’ll have to look at it positively,” Lloyd said. “We’re going to have a good team. We want to play whenever we can play.”
There has also been speculation that if football is played in the fall there would be no spectators, and no one wants to see that since football provides about 75 percent of the funds needed to fund a total athletic program.
“We still hope to be playing low risk sports in the fall, things like cross country, tennis and golf,” Bridges noted. “And then play everything else in the second semester. Things like volleyball, soccer and football are a higher risk.
“We may have to create a third season (for sports like baseball and softball) during the spring semester. A lot of spring coaches also coach other sports,” Bridges noted.
Bridges said he expects an announcement from the NCHSAA by the end of this week.
