Arizona high school fall sports still on, but could adjust after AIA meets with Sports Medicine Advisory Committee

Fall sports are still on for Arizona high schools.

The Arizona Interscholastic Association Executive Board is keeping its fall sports timeline, but it is meeting next week with the organization's Sports Medicine Advisory Committee.

That group will provide the AIA with its recommendations, Executive Director David Hines said during Monday's AIA board meeting.

When the AIA set its latest fall sports guidelines, it used recommendations from its crisis team and sports medicine advisory committee.

SMAC is expected to update the AIA on the health metrics since last month and see if any adjustments need to be made to the timeline.

Football is set to begin official practice Sept. 7 with most varsity football games beginning on Oct. 2. The AIA, two weeks ago, called for an eight-game regular season with an eight-team playoff format for the Open Division, and for each of the big-school conferences, 6A, 5A and 4A.

"We have multiple options," Hines said to the board. "Right now we can make any adjustment. At this point there is nothing different than what we had two weeks ago until we get the sports medicine information."

On Aug. 14, the Phoenix Union High School District put a pause on all fall sports until health metrics benchmarks are met. Positive COVID-19 cases have shown a downward trend.

On Monday, less than 500 cases were reported in Arizona with no new deaths.

But there are 15 counties in the state and numerous school districts. The districts' governing boards ultimately make the call on whether or not sports are played.

A data dashboard for zip codes and schools districts show that PXU boundaries still is at a high-risk stage with 229 cases per 100,000 and 17% positive rate.

Rates vary from region to region and district to district.

The Queen Creek Unified School District, which opened Monday for in-person learning, meets the Arizona Health Services Department's recommended metrics to allow for students to return to the classroom. It is below 100 cases per 100,000 with a 4.81% positive rate.

PXU Athletic Director Zack Munoz, a member of the AIA Executive Board, on Monday recommended looking at what the surrounding states are doing with fall sports, and to see if Arizona could possibly push it further.

Utah began Week 1 of football competition last week.

New Mexico, Nevada and California decided to move football to the start of the 2021 calendar year.

Hines pointed out that decisions California and New Mexico made were driven by their governors. Most of Nevada's counties and districts were looking at moving fall sports to the spring.

The feedback the AIA received from its 274 schools showed that the majority wanted to have fall sports.

In a meeting last week with coaches, Hines said he was surprised to hear that there were more participants for summer workouts this summer than in the pre-COVID summers.

"This is why we came up with the plan that we have," Hines said. "We are a state organization trying to accommodate 15 counties."

Joe Paddock, assistant executive director for the AIA, said that he was asked by Tucson and Yuma schools if they begin later than the fall timeline, would they still be eligible for post-season tournaments.

Football, Paddock said, will require only four games to qualify for state. In individual sports, such as cross-country and swimming, athletes can still make qualifying times in a late-October meet if they're not allowed to compete until later in the fall.

Paddock said the AIA will continue to work with schools and modifications, understanding that districts could be under the guidance of the local health agencies, such as Pima County in Tucson, where it being recommended to not start fall sports until students are safe to return to the classroom.

There are 25 schools that have opted to cancel fall sports. One of those,Tohono O’odham, is canceling all sports the entire 2020-21 sports year. The AIA will not penalize those schools because of the pandemic.

The schools canceling fall sports:

Whiteriver Alchesay, Tucson Arizona School for Deaf/Blind, Sells Baboquivari, Chinle, Cibecue, Ganado, Tuba City Greyhills Academy, Keams Canyon Hopi, Many Farms, Kayenta Monument Valley, Buckeye Odyssey Institute, Page, Pinon, Kearny Ray, Red Mesa, Red Valley-Cove, Rock Point, San Carlos, Winterhaven (Calif.) San Pasqual, Shonto Prep, St. Michael, Tuba City, Sanders Valley, Fort Defiance Window Rock, Tohono O’odham (all sports 2020-21).

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter @azc_obert.

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