A Grip on Sports: With Washington high school football in flux, the ramifications reach beyond the border
A GRIP ON SPORTS • It’s odd, but we hadn’t thought of the butterfly effect in years. But this morning, while thinking about the virus and high school football, a butterfly flitted past our window. And it made me realize something about interconnection.
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• Over the past few weeks, we’ve read story after story from around the nation concerning high school athletics. States, mostly in warm-weather areas, thinking about switching football to the spring and all the spring sports to the fall. Other places contemplating pushing the start of school, and sports, back, maybe as far as next year. Cancellations, postponements, no changes. All were on the table.
Then yesterday evening, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association released some news.
Fall sports in the state wouldn’t begin their practices until September, not mid-August as usually is the case. And only then if the school’s county is in one of the final two phases of the coronavirus battle. (Dave Nichols has all the information in this story.)
Football, which takes a little more time to acclimate to the contact and equipment, will now start practice Sept. 5. All other sports can begin Sept. 7, Labor Day.
For football, which has to have a minimum of 12 practices before games, games might be able to begin Friday, Sept. 18 (fixed from earlier), but that would be a stretch. Best-case scenario? Two weeks of games are already out the door, with little realistic chance to save them (we will get to that in a minute).
Yes, I understand the WIAA released the new date knowing full well it will have to re-evaluate everything come its next scheduled board meeting July 22. Between now and then, schedules will have to be reworked.
And that’s where the butterfly comes in.
High schools in extreme Eastern Washington have been playing Idaho schools for years in non-league action. The bigger schools in North Idaho and Spokane have developed some friendly and healthy rivalries over the years, filling schedule holes with inexpensive travel.
But this year that symbiotic relationship may take a huge hit.
Idaho has yet to alter its fall schedule. Games are expected to begin Aug. 28, with many schools’ schedules filled with games with Washington schools.
Coeur d’Alene has Mt. Spokane and Gonzaga Prep scheduled for early September. Lake City has Lewis and Clark and Ferris. Post Falls and Sandpoint face University. Lakeland is at West Valley. And on and on.
It’s not hard to imagine coaches at North Idaho’s high schools now scrambling to fill open weeks. And that’s just in football. Volleyball and other sports are interconnected as well.
Looking at schedules, few teams have open weeks during the season. Getting them to match up would be a Herculean task. The bottom line? If football in this area goes forward, the season will be truncated for Washington schools – and for many in Idaho as well.
Which brings up scenarios other states are evaluating. Should high school football, the most physical of contact sports, be moved from the fall? Would it make more sense to make it a spring sport for one year, at least, allowing time for a possible vaccine and the pandemic to slow? One thing is for sure: Such a decision, in these parts anyway, wouldn’t happen in a vacuum. Whatever is decided, it will not only impact Washington schools, but its brethren across the state line. And Idaho may be a bit more resistant to major changes.
No matter what, we are now sure the high school sports season will not be anything close to normal this year.
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Gonzaga: We linked stories on ICE’s decision announced yesterday morning concerning foreign students, online classes and visas. Jim Meehan did what reporters do and went to the source, talking with athletic director Mike Roth about it and the effects it may have on GU athletes. … The University of Arizona has already come up with a plan to, it hopes, get around such a change.
WSU: Around the Pac-12 and college sports, what state is the Washington football program in? The recruiting seems to be going OK. … One position Oregon State doesn’t need to worry about is running back. … Oregon is worrying about everything, which is the new normal. … A Colorado football player was arrested for a DUI. Another is transferring. … USC’s safeties have a new role. … The Pacific Northwest is starting to have a major influence on the conference. Will it lead a charge to change the football schedule?
Idaho: Trevon Allen had a whirlwind experience playing in The Basketball Tournament, something that wasn’t even on his schedule a couple weeks ago. Peter Harriman has more on that, and a quick piece on former Washington State star Bennie Seltzer returning to the Palouse as a UI assistant.
Whitworth: The voice of the Pirates, Bud Nameck, talked with Larry Weir yesterday on the latest Press Box podcast.
NIC: Speaking of pushing sports back, and we were, wrestling at North Idaho College will not begin this season until next year. Ryan Collingwood has all the particulars in this story.
Preps: As we mentioned above, Dave has a story on the WIAA’s action concerning fall sports.
Mariners: The date baseball hopes to begin keeps getting closer, which means there are more and more stories to cover, and more and more questions. … Kyle Seager could afford to sit out. He just wants to play. … An older coach is sitting it out, though he would rather not. … There is more to the M’s stable of prospects than meets the eye. … Taijuan Walker is glad to be back. … As is Shed Long and Braden Bishop.
Seahawks: Speaking of questions, and answers, there are always ones concerning the Hawks and the NFL.
Sounders: Seattle’s tournament schedule has been revised after one of its opponents dropped out. The real question is, should the tournament go on at all?
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• The up and down nature of this summer will continue this week, with a chance for a 90-degree Saturday sandwiched by days in the 70s. Make up your mind, will you, Mother Nature? Until later …