Interscholastic athletics will remain on hiatus through the end of the year in high schools across Suffolk County. Section XI, the governing body for middle school and high school sports, announced last Friday that interscholastic athletics will resume on January 4, 2021.
Section XI’s Athletic Council, Executive Board, Safety Committee and county athletic directors came together to decide all sports would be postponed until the new year due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
There will be three high school sports seasons offered between January and June 2021. (Darin Reed photo.)
“Among the reasons for this decision are the potential for increased positive cases of Covid-19, the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches, officials and staff members, a reduced number of spectators, lack of locker room and facility use, increased costs in transportation and security for school districts and equity among all school districts,” said Section XI in a statement.
Section XI’s Athletic Council voted unanimously last Friday to postpone the fall season and condense all three seasons – fall, winter, spring – into the period from January through June.
Section XI will run three complete seasons for the varsity, junior varsity and modified levels. These seasons will allow for all teams to play an adapted season with a culminating championship event.
The seasons will run as follows:
Varsity and JV
Season 1 (Winter) January 4-February 27
Season 2 (Fall) March 1-May 1
Season 3 (Spring) April 26-June 19
Modified sports
Season 1 (Winter) January 4-February 6
Season 2 (Late Winter) February 8-Mar 20
Season 3 (Fall) March 22-May 8
Season 4 (Spring) May 10-June 12
Huntington UFSD officials are already organizing the Blue Devil program for a return to play. Coaches were notified of the latest developments within an hour of the Section XI decision and immediately went to work planning for their teams. The district intends to fill vacancies in its coaching ranks in the coming months.
Huntington UFSD will have safety protocols in place through the end of the pandemic. The athletic office will release information soon about its plans for the 2021 season.
Huntington UFSD supports the decision to postpone play until January. J. Taylor Finley Middle School and Huntington High School students are currently attending classes based on a hybrid format, featuring a mix of in-class and remote education.
“While this was a difficult decision, we feel it was the best move for the health and safety of everyone involved,” Section XI Executive Director Tom Combs said. “We still have a lot of hard work ahead in planning and executing on the three seasons across six months in 2021, but we look forward to the challenge and collaboration with our member schools and providing an impactful experience for our student-athletes and coaches.”
