MHSAA Announces Plans to Conclude 2020 Fall Sports

The MHSAA Representative Council approved a plan Wednesday to resume the 2020 fall sports postseason and the 2020-21 winter regular season following the conclusion of the three-week pause by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

For winter sports, if permitted by the MDHHS, practices can resume on Wednesday, Dec. 9, with competitions beginning Monday, Jan. 4.

Remaining fall sports tournaments will resume as follows:

• Volleyball: Quarterfinals in all four divisions would be played Tuesday, Dec. 15, with semifinals played Dec. 17-18 and Finals on Saturday, Dec. 19. Those final two rounds would be played at Battle Creek’s Kellogg Arena, as previously scheduled.
• Swimming & Diving: All three Lower Peninsula finals would be conducted Tuesday, Dec. 22 (diving) and Wednesday, Dec. 23 (swimming) with three high schools each hosting one meet. This allows for a two-week practice window for all participating swimmers who previously met and entered qualification times, and for divers who previously qualified at regional meets.
• Football: 11-player regional finals and 8-player semifinals would be played Tuesday, Dec. 15, and Wednesday Dec. 16; 11-player semifinals and 8-player finals would be played Dec. 21-22, the 8-player championship games at Midland Community Stadium; 11-player Finals will be played Monday, Dec. 28, and Tuesday Dec. 29 at Ford Field.

“We understand where COVID numbers were trending, and that’s why we have been supportive of the order to pause,” said MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl in a statement. “But these fall sports deserve closure, and this strategy provides the best opportunities without further interruptions to a normal course of training and competition.

“A very small percentage of our teams remain active in our fall tournaments, also limiting potential exposure to the virus across the state. Meanwhile, by waiting until January to begin winter competition, the Council is allowing our teams to continue activity but also restricting the mixing of communities to further promote reducing COVID spread.”