Football, volleyball, boys soccer and all other fall sports will play as originally scheduled this fall.
The Kansas State High School Activities Association’s executive board voted 5-4 against a postponement proposal Tuesday, ruling athletics will soon begin amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The decision means practices will begin Aug. 17, and competitions will start as follows:
Girls golf, girls tennis: Aug. 21
Boys soccer, volleyball: Aug. 28
Football, cross country: Sept. 2
Gymnastics: Sept. 4.
The proposal, which had been set forth by the activities association itself, would have pushed back the start of Kansas’ high school football, volleyball, boys soccer and gymnastics seasons to Tuesday, Sept. 8, with the first football games being played Sept. 11. Girls golf, girls tennis, cross country would have started as presently scheduled.
If it had passed, the proposal would have next gone before the KSHSAA’s board of directors, which is comprised of more than 70 administrators from unified school districts across Kansas.
“There’s no good answers as we move forward,” KSHSAA executive director Bill Faflick said before the vote. ”In fact, we know that every decision that is made is right and every decision is wrong.”
Here are some of the other proposed changed that were not accepted Tuesday:
Reducing the football regular season from nine to eight games for high schools and six games for middle schools and junior highs
Elimination of all football jamborees
Reducing the boys soccer regular season from 16 to 14 games for high schools and eight games for middle schools and junior highs
Reducing the volleyball regular season from 36 to 30 competition points for high schools and 24 for middle schools and junior highs
