'Really thankful kids get a chance to play': IHSA moves football to spring but nothing's canceled
The 2020-21 fall and spring high school sports seasons have gone topsy-turvy, but in Du Quoin, there is happiness that the games will go on.
"I'm really thankful kids get a chance to play sports this year," said Du Quoin Athletic Director and football coach Derek Beard. "Kids need it, and adults need it too."
The Illinois High School Association, which oversees most interschool athletics in Illinois, announced late Wednesday that football, girls volleyball and boys soccer will be moved to spring 2021. They submitted the modified season plan to the Illinois Department of Public Health for approval.
Golf, girls tennis, cross country, and swimming and diving will occur in the fall season, which will run from Aug. 10 to Oct. 24.
Per the IHSA schedule, the winter sports season will run from Nov. 16 to Feb. 13, spring sports will run from Feb. 15 to May 1, and summer sports will run from May 3 to June 26.
"This plan, like nearly every aspect of our current lives, remains fluid," IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said in a statement. "Changes may come, and if they do, we will be agile while putting safety and students first."It was important that we provide a framework today for our student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and officials to begin preparing for the 2020-21 school year."
Each season is shorter than normal. Baseball is dropping from 35 games to 15. Football will be seven games instead of nine. Du Quoin's football schedule for 2020 originally was five home games and four away games, and Beard said nobody knows yet which games will go away.
He said the River to River Conference will get together Friday to discuss it.
Du Quoin Superintendent Matt Hickam said he was surprised by the IHSA decision, but happily so. "I anticipated there was going to be nothing in the fall," Hickam said. "For the governor to come out,and the IHSA to follow up with their own plan was a surprise,but not an unpleasant one."
Meanwhile, Du Quoin football practice has stopped, Beard said. The team had been working on strength and conditioning in the mornings and developing offensive and defensive breakdowns in the evenings. Now, he said, teams will be allowed to have 20 contact days between Sept. 7 and Oct. 31. He added that once school is open the kids will get back in the weight room.
There are still a lot of questions, Beard said. "We don't know about our schedules, or about finding officials for every game." But, he added, "I think it's a best-case scenario for all sports. There are at least games to play."
He added the shortened seasons should not hurt student chances for athletic college scholarships.
"I've always said, if you are good enough to play college sports they are they will find you," Beard said.
<b>The IHSA plan</b>
Under the current plan, boys and girls golf, girls tennis, cross country and girls swimming and diving will remain as fall sports and will begin on Aug. 10, as scheduled. Football, boys soccer and girls volleyball will be moved from the fall to the spring,officials said.
The association announced a "condensed" schedule:
Fall: Aug. 10 to Oct. 24
Winter: Nov. 16 to Feb. 13
Spring: Feb. 15 to May 1
Summer: May 3 to June 26
Boys/Girls golf: Fall
Girls tennis: Fall
Boys/Girls cross country: Fall
Girls swimming & diving: Fall
Boys/girls basketball: Winter
Wrestling: Winter
Boys swimming & diving: Winter
Cheerleading: Winter
Dance: Winter
Boys/girls bowling: Winter
Girls gymnastics: Winter
Football: Spring
Boys soccer: Spring
Girls volleyball: Spring
Girls badminton: Spring
Boys gymnastics: Spring
Boys/girls water polo: Spring
Baseball: Summer
Softball: Summer
Boys/girls track: Summer
Girls soccer: Summer
Boys volleyball: Summer
Boys/girls lacrosse: Summer
Boys tennis: Summer