How COVID-19 is affecting Newberry, Presbyterian football schedules
Presbyterian College announced Monday several changes for its upcoming football season.
The Blue Hose, who will compete as an independent this year before moving to Pioneer Conference next year, will have six of their games canceled because various opponents won’t be playing football in the fall.
Games that will be canceled are at Morehead State (Sept. 3), Johnson C Smith (Sept. 12), UVA-Wise (Sept. 19), Stetson (Oct. 3), Merrimack (Nov. 14) and UVA Lynchburg (Nov. 21).
“The fluidity and unpredictability within college athletics being caused by the ongoing nationwide pandemic makes it difficult to predict what the 2020 football season may hold. Further scheduling updates will be provided when it becomes possible to do so,” Presbtyerian Athletics said in a statement.
Newberry College’s fall sports seasons, including football, won’t start on time as planned.
The South Atlantic Conference announced Friday that it is pushing back the start of its fall sports seasons until Sept. 26 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The conference also announced that its teams will compete in conference-only competition for the fall. The SAC, a Division II conference, is made up of 13 schools in South Carolina, North, Virginia and Tennessee with eight that play football.
“The decision to delay the fall sports season was not an easy one to make,” said Newberry College president and chair of the SAC Presidents Council Dr. Maurice Scherrens. “However, we feel this is the best course of action as it allows our institutions time to develop best practices for a safe return to campus and competition for our student-athletes. We will continue to assess the ever-changing situation, as we are dedicated to ensuring our student-athletes the opportunity to return to campus in the safest environment possible.”
The decision affects men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, men’s and women’s soccer, and volleyball.
Newberry’s football team was supposed to begin its season Sept. 12 against North Greenville. The Wolves’ first conference game was set for Sept. 19 against Lenoir-Rhyne.
Limestone College, located in Gaffney, is the other South Carolina school in the conference that plays football. Coker College (Hartsville) and Anderson University (Anderson) are other SAC teams without football but with fall sports teams that are affected.
The SAC is the latest conference with schools in the Carolinas to announce it was pushing back the start of fall sports. The Peach Belt Conference, a Division II conference that doesn’t have football, announced this week it was moving fall sports back until September.
The Big South, which includes Charleston Southern, said it will begin fall sports Sept. 3. Conference Carolinas, which includes North Greenville and Erskine, will begin fall sports Sept. 18.
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (a Division I-AA conference that includes South Carolina State) and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (which includes Benedict) won’t be playing football or any other fall sports but hoped to move them to the spring.
Football in the fall in SC?
Tracking the fate of college football schedules for teams in South Carolina. Only schools with decisions made are denoted. Any status is subject to change.
▪ Allen
▪ Benedict (No fall. Spring possible.)
▪ Charleston Southern (Still fall. On time.)
▪ The Citadel
▪ Clemson
▪ Coastal Carolina (Still fall. On time.)
▪ Erskine (Still fall. Delayed.)
▪ Furman
▪ Limestone (Still fall. Delayed.)
▪ Newberry (Still fall. Delayed.)
▪ North Greenville (Still fall. Delayed.)
▪ Presbyterian (Still fall, but half of games canceled so far)
▪ South Carolina
▪ SC State (No fall. Spring possible.)
▪ Wofford
This story was originally published July 24, 2020 at 3:47 PM.
