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Fewer spectators allowed for sports return

By Dave Lawrence Sports Editor

MECHANICSVILLE – Official practices for winter sports are set to begin Monday at Virginia High School League member schools, but they begin in an atmosphere of great uncertainty amid a resurgent COVID-19 pandemic and everevolving guidelines on how to resume a life that is nowhere near returning to routine.

In light of the surge in COVID cases both within Virginia and nationwide, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Nov. 6 ordered a cap on both indoor and outdoor in-person gatherings to a maximum of 25 people.

Northam spokesperson Alena Yarmosky clarified what exactly the cap applied to.

“It’s important to note that the 25 person gathering ban, as always, applies to gatherings,” Yarmosky tweeted. “That means parties, celebrations, or group hangouts -- it *does not* apply to religious services, employment settings, retail stores, or school classrooms.”

Nevertheless, there was likewise some confusion as to how Northam’s Nov. 6 order would affect the resumption of high school sports. The VHSL clarified that the 25-person limit applied to spectators only.

“We want to make it very clear that the Governor’s order for reduction in public and private gatherings to 25 individuals applies to ‘spectators’ and not participants at those events,” VHSL executive director Billy Haun said in a Nov. 13 press release. “Nothing in the order prevents VHSL member schools from holding contests.” The VHSL release clarified the definition of both spectators and participants in a subsequent press release on Nov. 20.

“The governor’s order defines ‘participants’ as players, coaches, officials, school event staff and school administration critical to the operations of the contests, media, law enforcement, and medical services,” the release said. “Cheerleaders, pep bands, etc., and other student support groups, are counted as spectators in the limit of 25 allowed at events.”

But the 25-person limit on spectators is actually an upper bound. The governor’s modified guidelines as listed in his Amended Executive Order 67 mandate: a. The total number of spectators cannot exceed the lesser of 30% of the occupancy load of the certificate of occupancy for the venue, if applicable, or

25 spectators per field. Races or marathons may have up to 250 participants, provided staggered starts separate runners into groups of 25 or less. b. Conduct screening of coaches, officials, staff, and players for

COVID-19 symptoms prior to admission to the venue/ facility.

Basketball regionals limited to eight teams

By Tim Pearrell

Rachel Witham for The Local

Spectators, including cheerleaders and pep bands, will be limited to 25 people according to revised VHSL participation guidelines.

Richmond Times-Dispatch

see SPECTATORS, pg. 26

If area public schools get to play boys and girls basketball this season, most of the various regions they play in will have eightteam playoffs.

All regions have one week to complete their playoffs this year under the Virginia High School League’s condensed schedule due to the pandemic, which essentially caps the number of qualifiers in basketball at eight.

“Otherwise you’d have to play four games in five days,” J.R. Tucker activities director Chris Brown said. “That time of year, you always have the weather issue kind of hanging out there. You’ve got to get this

see REGIONALS, pg. 26

Continued from pg. 25

Prior to Northam’s Nov. 6 order, attendance was capped at the lesser of 50% of occupancy load for the venue or 250 persons.

A mask mandate remains in place. While participants “should not be required to wear face coverings while actively engaged in workouts or competitions,” masks or some sort of face covering should be worn by participants, coaches, officials and other staff should wear them “to the greatest extent possible,” especially during travel to and from events, when social distancing cannot be maintained and when interacting with other personnel.

The VHSL eased some of the previously announced restrictions on soccer and lacrosse. In its original Return to Participation Guidelines released early in November, the league had prohibited faceoffs and body contact in boys lacrosse and limited quarters to 10 minutes. In soccer, spacing requirements would have eliminated the formation of defensive walls on direct and indirect kicks.

Boys lacrosse coaches were vociferous in their opposition to some of the recommendations.

“Our concern was it fundamentally changes the game – how you play it, how you

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“How do you coach and teach a defenseman how to drive somebody out without making contact? You’d end up with these high-scoring games because you’d basically have a free lane to the goal without anybody getting in your way.”

Having a great faceoff guy, Neal said, is a significant advantage because he can help his team basically play “make it, take it.”

“I understand what they were trying to do, but when you look across the recommendations that were made for each individual sport, it was just highly inconsistent,” Neal said. “Reducing the game time, taking the faceoffs away, no contact, but in football you can still block and tackle. You can wrestle basically as normal. Basketball’s basically the same without a jump ball. It

REGIONALS

Continued from pg. 25 thing completed literally in a week. You just don’t have room for that extra game. And in terms of preparation, it would be a lot to ask.”

Regions have had bigger windows to complete regional playoffs in past years, and that’s typically meant at least 10-team fields.

In Class 6, Region A: The far-flung region, which includes Cosby, Thomas Dale and James River, likely won’t make a decision until early December, Dale activities director Ricky Talman said.

In Class 5, Region B: The region, which has 17 area schools, will have eight-team fields, with qualifiers based on a points system, Brown said. The quarterfinals will be at higher didn’t really make a whole lot of sense.”

The VHSL took such criticism into account in its revised guidelines on return to participation, which were released on Nov. 24.

Faceoffs and body contact have been reinstituted in boys lacrosse, along with quarters at 12 minutes (instead of 10).

In soccer, defensive players will be allowed to form the traditional wall on all indirect and direct free kicks. Opposing players must be least 3 feet away. In the previous guideline, all players – including those on the same team – had to be at least 3 feet away from each other, eliminating the wall and jostling for position in front of the goalkeeper.

The VHSL added to its revised Return to Participation Guidelines a chart based upon the Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ interim guidance on athletes (ages 12-21) returning to play after a COVID-19 infection. seeds, with the semifinals and finals at a site north of the James River.

In Class 4, Region B: The region, which includes Richmond-area schools along with schools in the Fredericksburg and Charlottesville areas, will have eight-team fields, Monacan activities director Danny Parsons said. Four teams in the north division and four in the south division will qualify based on a points system. Games will be played at the site of the higher seed. Dinwiddie, Hanover, Mechanicsville, Monacan, Patrick Henry and Powhatan are in 4B.

In Class 3, Region A: The region, which stretches from the Richmond area to Portsmouth, will have eightteam fields based on a points system, Petersburg activities director Bill Lawson III said.

For those with no or mild symptoms – and no cardiac symptoms – the recommendation is for a gradual return to play after being symptom-free for 14 days.

For those with moderate symptoms (i.e., more than four days of fever of at least 100.4 degrees and significant systemic symptoms or hospitalization), a cardiology consultation is recommended. With a normal test, athletes can gradually return to play after being symptom-free for 14 days.

For severe symptoms that include abnormal cardiac testing, hospitalization requiring intensive care, or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, exercise should be restricted for 3-6 months and cardiology clearance is required before returning to play.

Richmond Times-Dispatch sportswriter Tim Pearrell contributed to this report.

Dave Lawrence can be reached at dlawrence@mechlo-

cal.com. Games likely will be at the site of the higher seed. The region includes Petersburg, Colonial Heights, Hopewell and New Kent.

In Class 3, Region B: The region, which includes Goochland and Maggie Walker Governor’s School, will have eight-team fields based on a points system, Goochland activities director Joe Fowler said. Games will be at the sites of higher seeds.

Richmond Public Schools, which has schools spread among several regions, has canceled its winter sports.

Last season the two region finalists advanced to the state tournament. This season only the champ will go.

Basketball teams can start practice on Dec. 7 and start play on Dec. 21.

Tim Pearrell can be reached at tpearrell@timesdispatch.com.