With the recent cancellation of the 2020 spring high school season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new question arises: what is going to happen to the 2020 fall season?
As of right now, nobody knows the exact and concrete answer. Although there has been a recent drop in COVID-19 cases, this statistic has tended to fluctuate, which leaves much uncertainty whether or not it will be safe to conduct athletic activities beginning August 17, the current start date for the MFS fall season. While no formal decisions have been made, various statements have been released by MFS, the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA), and the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA).
On their website, MFS remarked that they are “in close contact with the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) and Friends Schools League (FSL)” to discuss what is “available to best support [the] athletics program” for the upcoming fall season. MFS Director of Athletics Danielle Dayton echoed this in an e-mail interview and also added that both the NJSIAA and the FSL are “looking to see what guidance and parameters [can be] put in place for [the] Fall,” a lot of which depends on New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s parameters.
Slowly, Governor Phil Murphy has been reopening New Jersey due to the recent drop in COVID-19 cases, however, he has not mentioned anything about the fall high school sports season. While the partial reopening increases the possibility of a fall sports season, nothing is certain without a proper vaccine. The number of cases can still easily spike up once again. As of right now, MFS has not released any further comments as they are still discussing fall semester schooling.
The NJSIAA released a statement on May 8, which said that they are currently “developing various scenarios and plans related to a potential fall return to school and sports,” however, they have yet to announce any formal news. In fact, so far no states have released any formal decisions in regards to the fall season.
As well, in a Q&A session with various student-athletes, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) stated that they are preparing “to begin [fall sports] as planned.” This could mean the rest of the Friends League having a normal start; however, this is only speculation.
The upcoming 2020 fall season holds importance for the Foxes. The Boys’ Soccer team is coming off of a historic run last year and is looking to continue this streak of success in 2020, especially with a strong rising senior class. The Girls’ Field Hockey team is defending FSL champions, and look to win their championship next season. As well, the Girls’ Tennis team looks to have even more success after finishing #3 in the state and winning the FSL last year. However, everything depends on whether the fall season will even happen.
Danielle Dayton concluded in her interview that she expects the NJSIAA to “provide updates every couple of weeks,” so stay tuned on MFSWordsWorth.com and the NJSIAA’s website for the latest news on the 2020 fall season.
