Middletown suspended all extra-curricular activities, including athletics and marching band, on July 30, then partially lifted the ban that went into effect Monday. School officials said they will conduct practices under the guidelines required by the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
The fall athletics season remains suspended, Superintendent Marlon Styles Jr. said.
Steve Shuck, commissioner of the 10-school Greater Miami Conference that includes Middletown, said he understands the concerns of the officials, but they need to be patient as the state government and the OHSAA work through how to best handle issues around COVID-19.
“Hold the phone,” Shuck said when asked his advice for the officials. “They need to wait until we get a definitive answer and right now we don’t have one. This changes day-to-day, hour-to-hour.”
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said last week he will have an announcement today about high school sports during his scheduled press conference.
Shuck said he hopes DeWine’s message is “let’s play.”
Football, soccer and field hockey are considered contact sports by the governor’s office and have not been approved for competition. The low/non-contact sports that have been approved by the governor’s office for seasons are golf, tennis, girls volleyball and cross country.
The high school soccer and field hockey seasons start Friday. The high school football season starts the week of Aug. 24 with Aug. 28 being the first Friday night.
Shuck said if Middletown cancels its fall sports season, those officials assigned to Middie games will be reassigned.
“They will not lose any games,” he said.
Karol Warden, who assigns referees for GMC volleyball matches, agreed. There are “plenty of dates” and she’s 99 percent sure the officials assigned to Middie games will be reassigned if necessary.
J.D. Faust, athletic director at Middletown High School, called juggling the fall sports schedule “a tough situation,” but said his top concern is the safety of the student-athletes.
Faust, who said he has “high hopes” for the fall season, was disappointed to hear high schools in Michigan and Illinois pushed their fall sports until next spring.
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