The Rumson-Fair Haven boys lacrosse team reached the South Jersey Group 2 finals last year after a 14-10 record.
By Rich Chrampanis
The COVID-19 pandemic has shut down life in New Jersey and high school sports are on hold, along with everyday life in the Garden State. While many brace for the possibility of no competition in baseball, softball, lacrosse, boys volleyball and track, the state’s governing sports body is providing optimism and hope that there could be some action in high school sports this spring.
New Jersey high school sports have been put on the back burner as New Jerseyans battle to flatten the curve. The last time a local high school sports team was in competition in New Jersey was back on March 11 when the Saint John Vianney’s girls basketball team won a sectional championship, 67-54 over Saint Rose. The basketball season concluded prematurely without group championships or a Tournament of Champions. There were just a few days of spring sports practices before the season was indefinitely put on hold after Gov. Phil Murphy ordered all schools in the state to close.
As hundreds of area athletes hold out hope they may still get to take the field for the spring sports season, the state’s high school sports governing body is doing everything in its power to keep hope alive for high school sports before the summer. The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) published clear guidelines on “if, and when, a return to (spring) athletics is permitted.” The big headline in the new NJSIAA update is an extension of a spring sports season for an additional two weeks. While it’s unlikely that state champions will be crowned, there is a glimmer of hope that athletes will get an opportunity to compete in some form.
“Along with our leagues and conferences, the NJ-SIAA has determined and communicated with member schools that if competitive events are possible, they will conclude no later than June 30,” the state athletic association said in a statement last Friday. “Various models have been established based on potential return dates that range from mid-May to the end of that month, and leagues and conferences will be given substantial scheduling flexibility.”
Here’s a breakdown of the NJSIAA’s plan:
• June 30 is the absolute latest date that the spring sports season will be extended to.
• Student-athletes in every sport, except for golf, must practice six days with one rest day. After the first three days, student-athletes can participate in scrimmages that will count as practice days.
• If athletics resume prior to May 25, the NJSIAA will run “modified sectional tournaments” in late June. Teams that do or don’t qualify for a sectional tournament can continue to play up until June 30.
• If athletics resume after Memorial Day, May 25, there will be no sectional tournaments. However, leagues and conferences will still be allowed to play games up until that June 30 cutoff date.
The NJSIAA’s plan almost certainly hinges upon a return to the classroom for New Jersey’s high school students. Murphy has not given a concrete answer as to whether or not New Jersey schools will reopen this spring. The next update on the status of New Jersey schools is expected April 16.
Red Bank Catholic senior Jack Scrivanic put up impressive numbers in his junior campaign hitting .293 with four homers, 28 RBIs and slugging .524.
Last week, Pennsylvania’s state athletic association cancelled the spring sports season in its entirety. For now, the NJSIAA is keeping the window open.
“The return-to-school date and related public health guidelines will continue to determine the viability of a spring sports season,” the NJSIAA said. “As noted, the NJSIAA is committed to doing whatever is possible to provide New Jersey’s student-athletes with some type of spring season.”
This article originally appeared in the April 16th, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
