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The top photos from around all of the high school sports action.
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Wrestling and indoor track high school seasons will not be offered in Vermont this winter.
Vermont officials released its guidance on winter high school sports on Tuesday, and two sports did not make the cut.
According to WCAX, Vermont high schools will not offer wrestling or indoor track seasons this winter. In addition to the cancelation of wrestling and indoor track, cheering squads cannot practice vocal routines and spectators are not allowed for any indoor games or practice sessions.
RELATED: Amended executive order allows high school sports in Virginia to return
Sports that received permission to compete in the winter can begin practices on Nov. 30 and competition on Jan. 11. Those dates are subject to change, as delays or cancelations to winter sports could happen to winter sports if COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Vermont.
Vermont saw 132 new positive coronavirus cases this week, but the state has lowered its projections over the next couple of weeks, with cases peaking at 40 per day. Despite the recent spike in positive cases, Vermont still has the lowest fatality rate in the United States and the lowest positivity rate in the country. As of Tuesday, the state has reported 2,237 total positive cases and 58 deaths.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s loosened COVID-19 restrictions on recreational activities will allow for the return of HS sports in December.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s loosened COVID-19 restrictions on recreational activities will allow for the return of high school sports in the state in December.
According to WTOP News, the Virginia High School League is prepared to resume high school sports next month after Northam amended state Executive Order 67, which includes changes regarding recreational sports, last week. The changes in the executive order allow the VHSL to proceed with its “Championship + 1” schedule, which was approved by the group’s executive committee in September.
Under the rules, coronavirus screenings for coaches, officials, staff and players are required. Indoor and outdoor sports can be played if the total number of attendees is less than 250 people. Smaller venues can host events with no more than 50% capacity. Races and marathons can have as many as 1,000 participants, but with staggered start times. Hugging and high-fiving, handshaking and fist-bumps are not allowed under VHSL guidelines.
“This amendment by the Governor clears the way for all of our sports to play,” VHSL Executive Director John W. Haun said in a statement. “Adherence to these guidelines will offer a safe reopening for our students, coaches, staff, officials, and communities once we start playing in December. Additionally, we appreciate the close collaboration and guidance from the Governor’s office, the Virginia Department of Health, and the Virginia Department of Education,”
The Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association is slated to release its safety guidelines on Nov. 6.
RELATED: Nationally ranked HS football team quarantining after COVID-19 test
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More great highlights are in store for high school sports fans this week, from big throws to bigger catches, sideline shots, and blazing speed— and one pinballing touchdown run in Texas.
It’s must-see moments in high school sports that are made possible because of the great fans submitting the clips to our partners at ScoreStream— keep ’em coming!
Now, let’s check out the latest Plays of the Week.
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USA TODAY Sports Super 25 high school football rankings: Week 9
A school board in Minnesota defied state guidance on Monday night, voting to continue sports and extracurricular activities.
A Minnesota school board defied state guidance by voting to continue fall sports and extracurricular activities on Monday.
According to StarTribune, the Anoka-Hennepin school board voted to proceed with middle and high school sports and extracurriculars, going against state guidance that school districts shifting to remote learning because of COVID-19 should halt sports and extracurricular activities.
The 5-1 vote came days after the Anoka-Hennepin school district, the largest in Minnesota, announced its transition from hybrid to distance learning starting on Nov. 4 amid a recent surge of positive coronavirus cases in the area. The district also announced that sports would be put on hold beginning on Nov. 2.
Anoka-Hennepin district leaders followed state guidelines in shifting to remote learning after an uptick of COVID-19 cases in Anoka County. State guidance also stated that “school athletics and activities should be conducted virtually in counties that reach this level of spread.” Parents and students attended the Anoka-Hennepin school board meeting on Monday night in an effort to persuade the board to allow sports and extracurricular activities to continue.
Anoka-Hennepin spokesman Jim Skelly said that the district will follow the school board’s direction following its vote. However, the school board vote came as a “surprise,” as it was not on the meeting agenda entering Monday night. State agencies had communicated with Anoka-Hennepin that it needed to put sports and extracurricular activities on hold. Anoka-Hennepin has since asked the district to communicate its vote to the state.
“We wouldn’t have made an announcement of this caliber without some direct communication on this,” Skelly said.
According to Minnesota infectious disease director Kris Ehresmann, sporting events have been associated with 3,410 known coronavirus infections, or 2.5% of the state’s total. The total includes 593 people involved in high school athletics. In the past week alone, there were two confirmed outbreaks associated with high school soccer and volleyball.
RELATED: Delaware high school closes for 2 weeks, cancels sports after COVID-19 outbreak
Woodbridge High School in Delaware is shutting down for two weeks and canceling sports following a COVID-19 outbreak.
A high school in Delaware is closing its doors for the next two weeks after a COVID-19 outbreak.
Woodbridge High School is shifting to remote learning after positive coronavirus cases prompted the district to close campus as a safety precaution. Woodbridge was one of the few Delaware school districts that started the year with in-person learning and is now the first district to close a school as a COVID-19 safety precaution.
With campus closed, all of Woodbridge’s fall sports — football, volleyball, boys soccer, field hockey and cross-country — are suspended and are not allowed to practice until further notice. Woodbridge’s football team was slated to begin its season on Friday night, but its game was abruptly canceled following campus closure.
RELATED: New Jersey high school suspends athletics indefinitely
“I’m sitting out here as kids pull in, telling them the game is canceled,” Woodbridge football coach Jed Bell said, per Delaware Online. “It’s heartbreaking. My kids are just devastated.”
The Woodbridge High School campus is expected to re-open on Nov. 9. If that timetable holds true, its football program, a perennial Delaware contender, will be unable to play its first three games of 2020, leaving it with only four games on its schedule.
According to the Delaware Division of Public Health, 24 students and 75 staff have tested positive for COVID-19 in Delaware public schools. 54 students and 26 staff have tested positive in private schools.
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The best of the best from Week 7 in high school sports action.
More great highlights are in store for high school sports fans this week, from big throws to bigger catches, sideline shots, and blazing speed— and one impressive shifty and hard-nosed rushing touchdown in Florida.
It’s must-see moments in high school sports that are made possible because of the great fans submitting the clips to our partners at ScoreStream— keep ’em coming!
Now, let’s check out the latest Plays of the Week.
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High school sports not played in the fall remain on track to begin on March 1 after the NYSPHSAA declined a proposal to start earlier.
“High-risk” high school sports not played in the fall remain on track to begin on March 1 after the New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s executive committee declined a proposal to start one week earlier.
According to the Buffalo News, officials from Section I in New York proposed football, volleyball and competitive cheerleaders, which were not permitted to take place in the fall because of COVID-19, proposed “Fall 2” sports be allowed to begin practice on Feb. 22 with section approval.
However, the 22 voting members of the committee voted 10-10 with two abstentions. NYSPHSAA President Julie Bergman then voted against changing the start date, defeating the proposal.
“An earlier start date would create a more equitable season length across the four-season model with no overlap between seasons, unless a section chose to extend their season and/or was participating in an NYSPHSAA Regional or State Championship,” Section I said.
Under the NYSPHSAA’s current calendar, winter sports in New York state end Feb. 21, excluding teams playing deep into the postseason. Section I’s proposal would have started the “Fall 2” season the next day.
