Grafton High sports season pushed to October

Fall sports have been pushed to October 5 for Grafton High School and other members of the Southern Worcester County League, GHS Director of Athletics Kevin Anderson announced.

“Without question we have all faced unprecedented challenges as we try figure out the new normal,” Anderson said in a letter to players, coaches and parents.

The MIAA originally moved the start of the school sports season to September 18 as schools delayed opening due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, but Grafton’s September 16 start, plus its adoption of a hybrid learning program, meant that many students would be practicing with teammates before stepping foot in the classroom.

Tryouts and practices will begin on October 5, with the first date of competition set for October 19, with the season culminating the week of November 20.

“The delayed start will allow for the entire school population to get acclimated to the new way of learning,” Anderson wrote. “Several districts in the league are 100 percent remote learning, while others, like Grafton, are using the hybrid model.”

As a group, the SWCL Presidents released the following statement:

“We make this decision with the best interests of our respective schools and communities in mind and with the hope of being able to have as normal a regular season as possible, particularly when we consider the multiple variables presented to us in this pandemic. Our primary responsibility remains the mental and physical well-being of all our students, including our student-athletes. With the number of responsibilities we have to ensure a safe opening to school, balancing against the wants and needs of our communities and the desire to participate in a fall season, the decision to start the season at all was challenging. Providing an additional week or two of planning allows us to prioritize the difficult task of having students and staff safely back in our buildings before we add the variables that come with interscholastic athletics, including safely planning, transportation, mixing of student cohorts and finalizing athletic schedules.”

“While we know that there are some individuals who will be disappointed with the decision, we remain inspired by the resilience of our athletes, hopeful for the opportunity to have a fall season, and committed to ensuring that our staff and students, including all of our coaches and student-athletes, have a safe return to the 2020-21 school year amidst variables none of us could have ever predicted or imagined. In these unusual and uncertain circumstances, we appreciate everyone’s patience, flexibility and understanding and we look forward to being able to cheer on our student-athletes in a couple of short weeks.”

With the MIAA eliminating postseason tournaments for the fall, members of District 2 and District 3 – which covers all of Central Massachusetts – have developed a pod system for opponents based on geographical locations and schedules are being developed and that framework has begun to take place and will be released in the coming weeks. 

Although the sports of cross country, field hockey, golf and soccer are cleared to participate, these sports will look drastically different (rule modifications, programmatic philosophy) from what they have in the past. 

“Everyone must understand that this will not be a season like any other so please begin to adjust mindsets accordingly. Our goal is to provide a wellness-filled, safe athletic environment for our student-athletes,” he wrote. “What you can expect is an 8-10 game schedule (cross country will be less) and limited spectators at all Grafton athletic facilities. There may be opportunities for sports that have been moved to Fall II (fall cheer, football, girls volleyball, unified basketball) to participate in some organized team activities but that will be announced at a later date. The dates for Fall II are February 22, 2021 – April 25, 2021.”