NJSIAA rules out state championships in spring sports over coronavirus crisis
The organization that oversees high school sports in the state also announced that no competition will extend past June 30, as some coaches and others had advocated.
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If New Jersey high schools have a spring sports season, it won’t end with state championships.
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, which oversees high school sports in the state, announced Friday morning that a modified spring season, if it is held, would at the maximum reach the sectional tournament stage.
“At this stage, based on the return date, postseason play could range from a sectional tournament to only regular-season play without a postseason,” the NJSIAA said in a statement.
The organization also announced that spring-season play would not extend past June 30, which under New Jersey law is the end of the school year. Some coaches and athletes had advocated extending the spring seasons into July.
The NJSIAA noted in its statement that the organization still is hopeful of staging spring sports, depending on guidance from the governor’s office and health officials.
In Pennsylvania, Gov. Wolf on Thursday announced that all schools would be closed through the remainder of the school year, which led the PIAA to announce the cancellation of all spring and winter sports.
“As noted, the NJSIAA is committed to doing whatever is possible to provide New Jersey’s student-athletes with some type of spring season,” the NJSIAA said in the statement.
The NJSIAA said its officials have met with leaders of the state’s various leagues and conferences to develop scenarios for a partial spring season in sports such as baseball, softball, lacrosse and track and field.
“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 flexibility.”