The Ohio High School Athletic Association provided new details to member schools on Wednesday regarding spring sports schedules and tournament information if school facilities reopen in early May.
School facilities are closed through May 1 due to the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. If the closure is extended beyond May 1, the OHSAA will provide updated information. If school facilities do not reopen this school year, there will not be a spring sports season.
State tournament venues listed below are subject to change.
“If the Governor and Ohio Department of Health deem it safe to reopen school facilities in early May, then we will have a shortened spring sports season that extends into June,” said OHSAA Executive Director Jerry Snodgrass. “I commend our sports administration staff for putting the schedules together working on state tournament sites.”
Wednesday’s memo to school administrators also included details regarding Pupil Activity/Coaching Permits, annual awards certificates, District Athletic Board elections and academic eligibility for fall sports and college-bound seniors. The memo is posted at: https://www.ohsaa.org/news-media/articles/school-administrators-update-april-8
“We continue to applaud each of you for helping provide guidance and leadership to your coaches and your efforts to keep students engaged,” Snodgrass wrote to school administrators in the memo. “This crisis has heightened the awareness that students want to be back in the classroom. Teachers want students back in the classroom. In our solid belief that school-based athletic programs are an extension of the classroom, we hold that same belief for our student-athletes and coaches. Getting kids back with coaches is much more than winning and we feel it a vital part of returning life to normalcy.”
SPRING SPORTS OVERVIEW
– If school facilities are closed for the remainder of the school year, spring sports will be cancelled.
– The dates below for each sport are tentative and are based on the Governor’s optimistic direction that schools will reopen May 4. We will adjust accordingly.
– The mandatory no-contact period remains in place through May 1. No practices or group workouts may occur through this date, but the OHSAA encourages coaches to maintain electronic correspondence with their student-athletes.
– With a current return on May 4, the schedules below have been adopted for spring sports. Specific information relative to sectional and district tournaments, playing dates, seeding procedures, game sites, will all be provided in communications from the respective six District Athletic Boards.
– State tournament venues listed below are subject to change.
– If for any reason specific sites are shut down due to Governor’s orders, ALL sites will be shut down and tournaments will not be held.
Following are the proposed schedules for spring sports offered by Morrow County schools.
Baseball: Acclimation period, May 4-8; Season begins, May 9; Tournament entry/withdrawal, May 11; Tournament draw/coaches meeting, May 17; Sectional tournaments, May 23-30; District tournaments, June 1-6; Regional tournaments, June 11-12; State tournament at Akron Central Park (subject to change), June 19-21; Season concludes (regular-season games can be played up until this date, June 27.
Softball: Acclimation period, May 4-8; Season begins, May 9; Tournament entry/withdrawal, May 18; Tournament draw/coaches meeting, May 24; Sectional tournaments, May 30-June 6; District tournaments, June 8-13; Regional tournaments, June 15-20; State tournament at Akron Firestone Stadium (subject to change), June 25-27; Season concludes (regular-season games can be played up until this date), July 4.
Track and Field: Acclimation period, May 4-8; Season begins, May 9; Tournament entry/withdrawal, May 25; Tournament draw/coaches meeting, May 31; District tournaments, June 9-13; Regional tournaments, June 17-20; State tournament, June 26-27; Season concludes (regional-season meets can be held up until this date, June 27. Also, due to athletic facilities at The Ohio State University not being available in June, the state track and field meet will be split into three different sites. Division I will be at Hilliard Darby, Division II will be at Pickerington North and Division III will be at Westerville North.
