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Game Plans
Local high school sports possibilities By Rod Kausen
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he Humboldt Del Norte League (HDNL) successfully petitioned the North Coast Section (NCS) on Oct. 2 to allow our HDNL schools to have our own model for athletics this year. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, most California high schools are attempting a two-season model for sports, where the HDNL will follow the more traditional three sport seasons — with many changes. Here are some breakdowns. According to the organization that mandates high school sport guidelines for most states, including California, there are three levels of COVID-19 risk in high school sports. For our purposes locally: High-Risk sports are football, wrestling and competitive cheer. Moderate-risk sports are basketball, baseball, softball, soccer and tennis. Low-risk sports include golf, cross country running and some track and field events. The levels of risk are based on such things as the sharing of balls, sharing and
NORTH COAST JOURNAL • Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020 • northcoastjournal.com
cleaning of equipment and, of course, physical contact. Each team and sport must pass through three phases to compete as cleared by the county health officer. For instance, in basketball, practice begins with each athlete having their own ball in small pods, no more than 10 athletes at a time at the facility and no physical contact before moving to Level 2. A low-risk sport might begin at Level 3.
The three seasons of sport the HDNL cleared with the NCS include: Season 1, beginning Dec. 14 for eight weeks, including boys and girls basketball and boys and girls cross country. Season 2, beginning Feb. 8 for nine weeks, including football, boys and girls soccer, and girls volleyball. Season 3, beginning April 12 for eight weeks, including baseball, softball, boys and girls track and field, boys and girls tennis, boys and girls golf, and boys and girls wrestling.
Here are some guidelines the HDNL has put in place: If a season starts and stops, it will not start again. There will be no travel outside the county, including sectional competition, in seasons 1 and 2. All games will be interleague and league championships will then conclude the season since seasons 1 and 2 are not in sync with the NCS timeline. Season 3 teams and athletes can travel to sectional competition if qualified, and the county public health office allows travel. Wrestling will follow the NCS model in season 3 and wrestlers can attend NCS events as it will be following the same schedule, but with a later practice start time than other sectional schools.
Here are some concerns and hang-ups: Which schools will participate locally? Each school will determine independently what sports to participate in. The Eureka
