South Carolina private school league still aiming for normal start for fall sports
With the start of sports for public schools in South Carolina in question because of the coronavirus, the state’s independent high schools remain on track to begin their seasons.
South Carolina Independent Schools Association athletic director Mike Fanning sent an email to its member schools that they still plan to begin the first official fall sports practice date set for July 30.
“We are still moving in that direction and still hoping for football to begin on Week 0 with slight modifications in place,” Fanning told The State on Thursday. “We are progressively moving forward.”
Fanning said he has been happy with the way schools and coaches have approached workouts and the safety measures in place, and how they stressed the importance to the athletes about staying safe away from the playing fields.
SCISA schools began Phase 1 of summer workouts June 1 although several schools chose not to begin until June 8 or later. They are currently in Phase 2 of workouts with Phase 2.5 set to begin July 16.
During Phase 2.5, groups can be expanded to 15 players per pod and will allow for 7-on-7 intrasquad for football. Basketball and volleyball teams can also do intrasquad scrimmaging.
Single-partner stunts for cheerleaders also will be allowed, according to Fanning.
Football teams can start using helmets July 30 with use of shoulder pads and full gear coming after the 2-3 day normal acclimation period.
The first sports contests begin in August and first football games scheduled for Aug. 20 with Heathwood Hall hosting Spartanburg Day. Ben Lippen and Cardinal Newman play their first games Aug. 21 with Hammond starting its season Aug. 28.
Fanning said if games start as scheduled that he hopes to have fans in the stands with guidelines and protocols in place. But Gov. Henry McMaster would have to lift his ban on spectator sports first.
Fanning also added that most teams stream their home games so people can stay at home if they don’t feel comfortable.
“We have had assurances unless something drastic happens like having a stay-at-home order then we are going to continue to move forward as cautiously forward we can be,” Ben Lippen football coach James Reynolds said. “Kids have been great and feel fortunate with the limited things we have been able to do. We have put together a good plan and are moving forward cautiously.”
“SCISA is following CDC guidelines and American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations to guide them on recommendation and setting policy to return to play,” Hammond Athletic Director Jeff Barnes said.
Barnes and Reynolds said their schools have put the necessary safety measures in place to ensure a safe workout environment. That will continue when in-person learning begins as planned next month. Barnes said every kid at Hammond will be given a face shield to wear in class each day.
The Palmetto State has been at or above record daily coronavirus case counts over the last three weeks. On Thursday, there were 1,723 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 20.6 percent people tested came back positive.
Fanning said they will continue to monitor the numbers, especially over the next week or two coming from the July 4 holiday, and make modifications as needed.
The increase in positive cases have caused many public school districts from around the state to shut down summer workouts. SC High School League commissioner Jerome Singleton hopes to have some answers in the coming next week for the public schools
The league sent out a survey to principals, superintendents and athletic directors throughout the state Monday to get their input about the 2020-21 athletic calendar. It is possible at next week’s meeting, the committee could vote on proposals or give the SCHSL the authority to choose the best one for the upcoming season.
Most coaches and athletic directors around the state believe starting on time is unlikely at this point.
If things continue to move forward, SCISA schools like Hammond Ben Lippen, Cardinal Newman and Heathwood Hall could see a spike in enrollment from public school students looking to transfer and make sure they can play their sports season as planned with no delays. Reynolds and Barnes said they have been fielding calls from prospective students but are unsure how many students would end up going through with it.
Barnes said Hammond typically doesn’t take local senior transfers and there would be the financial cost of making a move with SCISA schools charging tuition.
SCISA has a number of factors in its favor that public schools don’t have. They include smaller school sizes and fewer athletes competing on each team. SCISA is made up of 122 schools throughout the state (75 high schools) and only about 50 that play football.
The size of football teams are much smaller at SCISA schools. For example, Hammond and Ben Lippen will likely have 40-45 players on their varsity squads.
SCISA also doesn’t bus in kids to schools each day like public schools do. Teams would have to take buses to away games but the smaller team size will make it easier to enforce safety measures.
“There are some logistical differences that we don’t have to deal with,” Fanning said of SCHSL schools.
This story was originally published July 9, 2020 at 5:20 PM.
