If athletes are exposed to COVID-19, their families will also be considered to have been exposed and placed under quarantine until a positive or negative test comes back on the matter. This, among other updates, was made known at the recent school board meeting for Prescott Schools held August 20 in the Performing Arts Center attached to Prescott High School.

With sports already underway or soon to start, the district is asking for commitments are asked for by September 1st, as highrisk football and volleyball are set to begin on September 7. After using his good news report in part to thank the custodial staff for their efforts and also report that the Speed and Strength program was back online both in the high school weight room and outside, Prescott Activities Director Matt Smith gave an update later in the school board meeting to talk about what area residents could expect for spirited and competitive release of pent up energy this fall, built from time spent in quarantine.

“We need to find something for the young people to do,” Smith said of the fall sports schedule, as he reported that depression was up in adolescents at present. As such, for those in the grades below middle and high school, he had talked with Pierce County Health Director AZ Snyder, and identified some good options. Chief among them?

Running, Soccer, and Golf. There were no concrete dates set for the lower level of youth sports, but the district could provide masks and Smith reported that the blue ones were easier to breathe in, while masks known as “Gator” were rated low on protection, among other deficits. Other districts had moved to them, but not Prescott. So what might be expected for fall upperlevel sports competitions for middle and high school at Prescott this year?

“All middle school sports will start on September 8 and be capped on October 6th,” the Prescott Activities Director said, while in high school there was more to report, not all good. Fall sports for the WIAA referencing high school would be split into two potential seasons, with 50 spectators per game in some instances.

“In full transparency, I don’t see us playing a full schedule,” Smith said of the Cardinal’s football season, for which playing just 50 percent of scheduled games would be considered “complete.” Some high school sports like Cross Country and Girl’s Golf had already started and were considered low risk, while others that were considered higher risk like volleyball and football faced specific “sanctions” in return for being allowed to move forward—call it an emotional bill, if you will.

As for volleyball, Smith said that events would be livestreamed with no fans allowed inside, and that everyone— including players—would use masks. In football, meanwhile, the special sanctions would mean a cap of 50 total spectators, with preference being given to local Prescott parents at home games, as each independent district made its own decision on the matter.

“In all transparency, it looked a little different,” Smith said of local district’s summer practice within the conference. Osceola had been tackling in full gear, while Prescott players had done foot exercises without touching a football. Rather than fall playoffs, meanwhile, it was likely that the end of season would see reduced postseason tournaments, with four teams playing two games and the winner of these being the champion.

“So basically, seasons are adjusted but regardless the number of contests will remain the same,” Smith said of schedule adjustments, including an alternative football season which could be made use of if needed. The adjustments could affect those multisports athletes—“which we highly encourage,” the Activities Director said—to those who wanted to participate in multiple sports, as winter and spring sports schedules might experience some overlap. There was also site wear and tear to consider, especially on the football field.

“If we did go the Alternative Fall schedule, we would have to modify, we would have to be flexible,” Smith told the school board. “If we played a football game at Laney Field in March I don’t see us doing a turnaround game in October and having any grass left.” In such a case the district would need to look at different venues to use. The local conference embraces three counties, and while multi-team and non-border state competition was frowned upon—“non-border” defined as “Florida” at the school board meeting—competing with local Minnesota teams was ok. But if the district did nothing?

“If we’re not going to offer anything, kids are going to find other things to do, to lose interest,” the Prescott Activities Director said.