MHSA Announces Fall Sports A Go
Northern Plains Independent Staff The announcement from the Montana High School Association to permit fall sports this upcoming school year was welcomed news for area school officials.
“We're excited,” Cody Larson, athletic director for Wolf Point, said. “A little normalcy is good for students.”
During last school year, spring athletes saw their seasons canceled because of the Coronavirus outbreak.
Culbertson superintendent of schools Larry Crowder said about MHSA's guidelines, “There are pretty non-invasive at this point. There's nothing out there that is very outrageous.”
Crowder is sad that students won't be allowed to shake hands before or after games, but hopefully a different process could be developed.
One of the regulations is that volleyball's regular-season schedule must consist of dual matches. Regular-season tournaments and triangulars are not allowed.
Wolf Point was scheduled to open its volleyball season at the Choteau Classic. Some rescheduling is going to be required.
“We were going to have a sub-varsity tournament of our own,” Larson said. “It's kind of a bummer. But we're just happy to be able to play.”
Culbertson's season-opening tournament was planned to feature some area Class C teams including Bainville and Froid/Lake.
“The rules aren't nothing that makes the games or practices extremely difficult for us,” Crowder said.
Bainville superintendent of schools Renee Rasmussen said she has been busy with meetings regarding school opening procedures, but she said the MHSA's recommendations seem positive at first glance.
“I'm pleased that they have given us some guidelines,” Rasmussen said.
School officials will be busy with rescheduling, especially for volleyball matches, but it appears to be a workable solution.
Larson noted that Wolf Point might need to consider adding a cross country assistant coach as changes could impact starting races and timing.
Another adjustment might occur during the post-season. The days for tournaments could increase or there might be split sites for tourneys.
“I wonder what the tournament landscape might look like,” Larson said. “That might be interesting.”
Changes that the MHSA is requiring to take place under its tier 1 format include the following: Cross country: No more than 200 participants at a meet. No more than 25 participants may be on the start line. The next runners up will be placed in a corral before they start. Once the race is completed, runners must immediately exit the finish line and return to their team bus. Meets should consider using staggered, wave or interval starts.
Football: The team box will be extended on both sides of the field to the 10-yard line and be for players only. All individuals must maintain social distancing of six feet of all times while in the team box. The ball must be cleaned and sanitized throughout the game.
Volleyball: During warmups, each player must shag their own individual ball. If a ball goes to the other team's side, none of the opposing players may throw the ball back. The home team must provide separate baskets of balls for warm-ups. Teams will not switch benches between sets. Bench personnel must be limited to observe social distancing of 3-6 feet.
Attendance at MHSA events will be dependent on the host site and local health department's guidelines.
These regulations are based on MHSA's tier 1 status. Tier 2 would feature the cancellation of non-conference games. Tier 3 would include the conference season being decreased and possible separation of post-season sites. Tier 4 would include seeding by conference and the post season possibly being adjusted.
