High school sports are returning to Delaware.

On Thursday, members of the Delaware Board of Education voted to approve fall sports throughout the state. Practices will begin Sept. 28 with games soon to follow.

The Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association had initially postponed its fall sports season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but opted to amend the decision and move forward with proper precautions.

The same can’t be said for Maryland high school sports.

As of Friday, Sept. 18, the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association remains committed to its plan to postpone all athletic activity until the second semester, which would begin in early February.

The MPSSAA announced the postponement of fall and winter sports in August but released a “Return to Play” plan that allowed every sport to resume competition in the spring.

The Maryland high school winter sports season is set to begin Feb. 1 with practice and reconditioning. Competition is scheduled to start on Feb. 22 and run until March 27. 

The fall sports season will begin March 15 with practice and conditioning as competition runs from April 5 to May 8. The spring sports season is set for April 26 with practice and conditioning, and competition will kick off on May 17 and run until June 19. 

READ MORE: Fall high school sports get the go-ahead to start in Delaware

MORE SPORTS: Worcester Prep, Salisbury School, other private institutions move forward with fall sports

Each season is scheduled to have five weeks of interscholastic competition available. Under this plan all sports will have an opportunity to play between 50% and 100% of their typical regular season allotment of contests.

The plan hasn’t sat well with parents of high school athletes.

Maryland parents push back

A Facebook group called “Maryland High School Parents in favor of sports moving forward this Fall!” has nearly 3,000 members. Its objective is to apply enough pressure to the MPSSAA so the association will permit the resumption of prep sports sometime in the first semester.

“Many of you may not realize that recently several states close to us overturned their postponements or are reconsidering postponement due to parent and player input,” the Facebook page states.

It’s not only parents who have voiced their dissatisfaction with the MPSSAA’s decision.

State Sen. Mary Beth Carozza, R-D38-Worcester, submitted a letter to MPSSAA Executive Director Andrew Warner asking sports in Worcester, Wicomico and Somerset county be resumed.

“The Maryland Sports Commission and Governor Larry Hogan have issued guidelines that allow for students to practice and play games while following all sanitary and social distancing protocols,” Carozza said in the letter.

“The fall semester also is a critical time for students who are seeking athletic scholarships to colleges and universities for next year. As schools begin to reopen for in-person instruction after the first quarter, it only makes sense to allow for the resumption of competitive sports.”

READ MORE: Game on! Maryland fall, winter and spring prep sports to return beginning in February

Other elected officials throughout the state have sent similar letters, including state Sen. Michael Hough, R-D4, who wrote, “With the Maryland COVID-19 positivity rate continuing to remain low, I would ask that MPSSAA develop a plan to safely resume athletic competitions this fall.”

As of Sept. 18, Maryland’s seven-day positivity rate sits at 3.21% with just over 119,000 confirmed cases.

‘They will turn into zombies’

Maryland is in the minority of states that are not currently holding high school athletic competition for public high schools.

According to data from Next College Student Athlete, Maryland is one of just five states that is not scheduled to play high school sports in the fall. It is joined by Washington, California, Nevada and New Mexico.

The other 45 states are either playing their original schedules or moving forward with an altered or delayed sports season.

“If we don’t get these kids back in school and sports, they will lose what little bit of social skills they have left,” Rickie Tapman said on the “Maryland High School Parents in favor of sports moving forward this Fall!” Facebook page. “School and sports must open back up. They will turn into zombies before this is over.”

Private school sports play on

While public schools wait for a decision, many private schools in Maryland have moved forward with a fall season. 

The Eastern Shore Independent Athletic Conference, which houses programs like Worcester Preparatory, Holly Grove, The Salisbury School, Salisbury Christian and others, opted to play the season in a limited capacity.

Only one game will be played per week for each sport, masks will be required when not on the field of play and social distancing will be enforced on the sidelines.

In sports like soccer and volleyball, several balls will be available and frequently disinfected to prevent the spread of any germs. Athletes will also be required to bring their own water bottles and personal equipment.

“We knew it would be rewarding if we could bring some sort of normalcy back into (the athletes’) high school experience,” said Matt McGinnis, Worcester Prep athletic director, in August.

Most private institutions have also returned to in-person learning, while the bulk of public schools in the state have implemented a hybrid or virtual learning format.

On Saturday, Sept. 26, a rally is planned in Annapolis to protest the MPSSAA’s decision. A poster for the rally states, “70 Percent Of The United States Is Playing High School Football. Our Athletes Deserve To Play!”

MPSSAA members are expected to meet in the upcoming days to discuss any alternative route for fall sports commencement.

Regardless of the member’s decision, Maryland parents have said they’ll continue fighting until their kids get back on the field.

“We have taken enough from our kids,” said Bill Griffith. “We need to give them something.”