That canceled most of the winter state tournaments and all of spring sports in New York state. We’re excited the state is allowing us to play. “Basketball is really important to me and my family and coaching basketball is something I love doing, and I know it’s really important to our kids that they have an opportunity,” Eastern boys basketball coach Kevin Crawford said. ." Crawford also took a positive spin on the news that the NJSIAA will not sponsor postseason tournaments. “I’m looking at the positive, we’re getting out there to compete, letting our athletes shine. NJ delays start of high school winter sports; seasons will be shortened Greg Tufaro Steven Falk Tom McGurk Josh Friedman Jane Havsy Greg Mattura NorthJersey.com “We remain keenly focused on providing New Jersey’s student-athletes with the opportunity to participate in sports, and given current health data and modeling, we believe pushing the schedules back ensures the best opportunity for our kids,” NJSIAA Chief Operating Officer Colleen Maguire said. But that will be determined at a later date, the NJSIAA said. It’s opening day at most New Jersey high schools for student-athletes in basketball, bowling and fencing. Have a news tip? ", Maguire said New Jersey "should be proud of its student-athletes, coaches, administrators and all those who make high school sports possible.”. With schools, it’s a little bit more problematic to do that.”. New Jersey's winter high school sports season has been pushed back until early 2021 as the state grapples with a spike in COVID-19 cases. Workouts can begin Dec. 14, with games beginning Jan. 4. The start of the season has been pushed back 11 days because Gov. We’re going to prepare like its just a normal season that was happening in the winter. Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice “With the Governor’s announcement of school closure for the remainder of the school year, all remaining TSSAA events for 2019-20, including all spring sports and the postponed state basketball tournaments, are cancelled. Pat Ralph While youth sports such as ice hockey and wrestling have been contested during the previous weeks and months with success indoors in and out of state during the pandemic, indoor winter sports at the high school level in New Jersey are entering uncharted waters. TCNJ cancels all 'high-contact' sports, including football, for fall semester Greg Tufaro, Jane Havsy and Josh Friedman, Bridgewater Courier News 6/27/2020 US approaches 400,000 coronavirus deaths It’s for the love of the game.". No spectators will be permitted when the season gets underway due to indoor gathering limits imposed by Gov. Add Pat's RSS feed to your feed reader As more school districts close their buildings for education, will they keep them open for indoor athletic competition? Gymnastics and girls volleyball – postponed from the fall – can begin practices March 1 and competitions on March 16. Ice hockey (practice begins Dec. 14, competition begins Jan. 4 and competition ends Feb. 17). “All the decisions we make first and foremost are with the safety of all our student-athletes in mind," Greater Middlesex Conference President Mike Pede said. Yes. 196, indoor practices and competitions are limited to 10 persons. But that dream ended Monday as Gov. The number of individuals still may not exceed 25 percent of the capacity of the venue in which competition takes place. NJ delays start of high school winter sports; seasons will be shortened Updated December 8. Zega said his district and board of education are “committed to extracurriculars” because “we understand it’s a big part of a high schooler’s life.” He said Woodbridge’s three high schools had a record number of fall sports student-athletes, all of who voluntarily participated. New Jersey currently is prohibiting youth and scholastic teams from traveling out of state for indoor competitions. RELATED: New Jersey pushes winter high school sports to 2021 Ohio is asking schools to adopt this policy through Jan. 1, 2021, when it will be re-evaluated. Competitions begin Jan. 26 and will wrap up by March 6. This gives us a chance to complete the season, and that to me is good for the kids. Get the latest New Jersey high school sports news, rankings, schedules, stats, scores, results, brackets & standings for high school football, soccer, basketball, baseball and more! All rights reserved. TRENTON, NJ-Although the NJSIAA has canceled the remainder of the boys and girls basketball championships, the spring 2020 sports season is not yet lost. It’s better than not playing at all.”. North Dakota and New Jersey were the two states that had yet to cancel spring high school state tournaments before Friday's decision by the NDHSAA board. The season will conclude Feb. 17. Bergen Catholic boys basketball coach Billy Armstrong, whose team last year was denied a chance to defend its Non-Public A title due to the pandemic, does not have a problem with this season being shortened and pushed back more than a month. Gymnastics, girls volleyball and wrestling (practice begins March 1, competition begins March 16 and competition ends April 24). As coronavirus concerns grow across North Jersey, the high school winter sports season came to an early close. 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