By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
Fall high school sports are official, but they won’t be the same.
At the beginning of last week, Gov. Phil Murphy gave his go-ahead for the fall sports season, but said the final determination would be up to the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).
A few days later, the NJSIAA confirmed the season would indeed begin as proposed earlier in the summer – with a later start date and earlier end date.
The NJSIAA said it wanted sports to take place for the social, emotional and mental well-being of the students, but “the focus this year is on participation, as opposed to championships.”
According to a release from the NJSIAA, “the Sports Advisory Task Force was guided by a set of principles that take into account the unique circumstances that we all are living through. Their goals were to ensure health and safety; promote participation, not championships; limit travel; and stay flexible in the face of changing circumstances.
“With these principles in mind, schedules will be condensed, competition will be local, out-of-state competition will be prohibited … and postseason play will be limited and local, with no statewide championships.”
Summer practices for fall sports began in July with the anticipation the fall season would take place, but that wasn’t official until Thursday, Aug. 20, with the NJSIAA’s decision.
Under the guidelines, after summer workouts end, there will be a hiatus from this Saturday, Aug. 29, until Sept. 13. During that period, coaches can contact their athletes only virtually. Practice will then begin Monday, Sept. 14, giving teams about two weeks until their seasons begin.
Girls tennis will be the first to start competition, on Sept. 28, and the regular season will wrap up Oct. 23 with postseason play until Oct. 31.
On Oct. 1, all but football will resume competition, which will continue until Nov. 12. Postseason play for those sports will finish by Nov. 22. The fall sports include boys and girls soccer and cross country, as well as field hockey.
Football games begin Oct. 2. The football season will last until Nov. 7, with postseason play Nov. 13-22, but Thanksgiving games will be allowed.
Schools can each have a scrimmage within seven days of the start of the season, but are being encouraged to do so with a neighboring school.
All postseason play will be open to schools that wish to participate. According to the NJSIAA guidelines, depending on the sport, postseason play will be “structured regionally or based on NJSIAA sections. The use of power points in rankings will be reduced and seeding committees will be able to consider school location and other criteria.
Out-of-state competition is prohibited, but there are waivers for special circumstances.
Two fall sports – gymnastics and volleyball – are being postponed until winter in what will be considered “Season 3.” Practices will begin Feb. 16 and competition will be from March 3 to April 14 with playoffs April 15-25.
Winter sports, such as basketball, swimming and wrestling, will be in “Season 2,” with practices to start Dec. 3 and regular season competition to begin Dec. 21. The season will end Feb. 3 with the postseason Feb. 5-17.
The NJSIAA will announce spring sports – “Season 4” – later, with the expectation start dates will be pushed back.
Sports calendars for Ocean City, Mainland
On Ocean City’s sports calendar, some key events include Ocean City girls tennis team traveling to rival Mainland Regional for a 4 p.m. match Thursday, Oct. 1. On Friday, Oct. 2, the Red Raider football team will host Absegami at 6 p.m. at Carey Stadium. Mainland’s football team will also start the season at home at the same time, taking on Egg Harbor Township.
The following week, the Mustangs travel to Absegami at 6 p.m Friday, Oct. 9. The Red Raider football team will travel to Oakcrest for a 6 p.m. start that Friday.
On Saturday, Oct. 2, Mainland’s girls soccer will host Pleasantville at 10 a.m. and the field hockey team will host Middle Township, also at 10 a.m. The boys soccer team will play at Pleasantville at 10 a.m.
Ocean City’s field hockey team will travel to Holy Spirit at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 2, and the boys and girls soccer teams will compete against Wildwood Catholic at 4 p.m. The Red Raider girls will host Wildwood Catholic while the boys travel to Wildwood Catholic.
At 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5, Ocean City’s boys and girls cross country teams will host Wildwood Catholic. At the same time, the Mainland boys and girls cross country teams will host Pleasantville.