The chances of any area high school football team playing a 10-game schedule is out the window following decisions which have cancelled football in Virginia and pushed back the starting date for West Virginia programs.
The Virginia High School League (VHSL) made the ruling Wednesday due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The fate of other fall sports will come during the VHSL’s scheduled meeting on July 27.
Football in the fall is not included in any of the three models under consideration.
Here is the breakdown:
Model 1: Only golf and cross country in the fall. All other fall sports cancelled.
Model 2: Spring sports (except lacrosse) being shifted to the fall and vice versa
Model 3: All sports played in truncated seasons from Dec. 14-June 26.
Model 3: Winter Sports would be held Dec. 14-Feb. 20 (First play date: 12/28). Fall Sports would be held Feb. 15-May 1 (First play date: 3/1); Spring Sports would be held April 12-June 26 (First play date: 4/26).
There is no word if football will be considered for the winter and spring months.
Meanwhile, the start of the season for West Virginia schools, including Chapmanville, Logan, Man, Mingo Central and Tug Valley, has been delayed.
Games are now allowed to be played starting on Sept.3. WVSSAC Executive Director Bernie Dolan made the announcement this past Friday at Governor Jim Justice’s regular COVID-19 press conference.
In a normal year, teams have an 11-week window to play as many as 10 games. This year, teams will have a 10-week window to play 10 games. As a result, many coaches and athletic directors are trying to match up ‘bye weeks’ to round out their schedule.
Here is the scheduled date for other fall sports:
Golf – August 24
Volleyball – Sept. 2
Cross country – Sept. 2
Cheer – Sept. 2
Soccer – Sept. 2
Football – Sept. 3
These decisions have played a hand in games involving Kentucky schools.
Mingo Central was scheduled to play Belfry in the Pike County Bowl, leaving officials now searching for a replacement.
Man and Logan, scheduled to open the season on Aug. 27, will likely now not play for the first time since 1964.
Other games cancelled include Hurley, Va. and Tug Valley; Shelby Valley and Ridgeview, Va., Paintsville and Union, Va., as well as Chapmanville and Sissonville.
East Ridge’s schedule is not complete but the Warriors normally play Hurley, Twin Valley and Grundy out of Virginia.