Fall Sports Delayed For Most North Shore Schools

SALEM, MA — Student-athletes who play fall sports for schools in the Northeastern Conference will have to wait until at least late in the winter to take the field.

Principals of schools in the conference voted 9-0, with three abstentions, to move all fall sports to the "Fall 2" season currently scheduled to run from Feb. 22 to April 25. Under a plan approved last week by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Directors, only football and competitive cheer would have been played in the "wedge" season in late winter.

The Northeastern Conference includes Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott, as well as Gloucester, Lynn Classical, Lynn English, Saugus and Winthrop.

The decision comes as schools across the state scramble to figure out if it is feasible to field teams in what the state has deemed "lower risk" and "moderate risk" sports this fall given state-mandated rules modifications to cut down on contact, transportation issues and differing learning models among neighboring towns.

Under the MIAA-approved plans, towns in the "red" under the state's map of coronavirus levels are not eligible to play this fall, and towns with remote-only learning plans can only play if the respective school committees give it the OK. Salem and Lynn are among the cities north of Boston with prohibitive coronavirus rates as of Wednesday.

"This allows for an equitable solution of participation by NEC schools impacted currently with COVID-19," Masonoment Principal Peter Delani said in a statement published on the Masconoment Regional School District website. "Many of the NEC schools are starting the school year in remote learning. Several schools are starting with a phased-in hybrid approach, which will begin in remote learning.

"The focus at this time is opening our schools as safely as possible," the statement continued, "There will be time needed to ensure proper safeguards are in place, as well as working through procedures for a safe return just for school. Time is needed to work out safety protocols for extracurricular activities."

The MIAA Board of Directors assigned individual sport task forces to come up with modifications to deliver to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Those modifications will be designed to minimize accidental contact and keep athletes at least 6 feet apart whenever possible.

Even in sports that are considered lesser-contact sports, the resulting modifications are likely to change the face of those sports as athletes have come to know them. The state is targeting Sept. 1 for the final modifications to be determined with a Sept. 18 start date for fall athletics.

The MIAA also voted on Aug. 18 to eliminate state tournaments for at least fall sports — reinforcing the idea that sports this year will be more about the experience to play than proving which team is the best day in and day out under a dramatically different landscape of rules.

Delani said the conference will allow athletic teams to conduct workouts this fall in accordance with local and state guidelines.

"We recognize that connections for all students are critical," he said, "especially with the start of the school year the during the most challenging of times and the loss of a spring sports season for many student-athletes. We want to provide experiences for our students that are safe."

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