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| Register-Guard
There won’t be any high school football games played on fields in the Eugene 4J or Springfield school districts this fall.
For the time being, there won’t be any practices either.
Both districts have determined that as long as students are being told to stay home for the start of the school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, student-athletes also need to stay away as well.
That means no access to the weight room for athletes, no voluntary practices in any sport, no organized workouts, and no other team functions.
“As a district, if you’re saying we’re not going to allow any in-person academic instruction, does it make sense to allow in-person athletic instruction?” asked Churchill athletic director and boys basketball coach Kelly Bokn, who is the also the 4J district athletic director. “I think that’s a pretty easy answer in the big picture of things.”
This was supposed to be the first week of team practices for fall sports before the Oregon School Activities Association’s executive board overhauled the athletic calendar earlier this month.
All sports will now be played on abbreviated schedules once the calendar year flips to 2021.
However, the OSAA also eliminated the traditional offseason coaching restrictions imposed on teams, giving all sports the ability to practice and conduct workouts if local coronavirus regulations allow such gatherings.
Even though Lane County is in Phase II of Gov. Kate Brown’s statewide reopening plan, six of the area’s seven largest high schools will be conducting remote-learning only for the start of the school year.
In Eugene, 4J high schools Churchill, North Eugene, Sheldon and South Eugene aren’t allowing students in their buildings until the start of the second term in December at the earliest.
For Springfield high schools Thurston and Springfield, the doors will remain locked through October when the district will reevaluate its plan.
Until those times, athletics will also remain on lockdown.
“We’re sitting tight and kids are doing things on their own,” said Thurston athletic director and football coach Justin Starck, whose team has won back-to-back state championships.
The Irish and Axe play in the OSAA’s Class 6A Southwest Conference. The Lancers, Highlanders, Colts and Millers are in the Class 5A Midwestern League.
“Is it what you want? Absolutely not,” said North Eugene athletic director and baseball coach Corey Nicholsen. “It’s frustrating for everybody. But this decision was made for the health and safety of our kids, our families and the community.”
Beyond the issue of health and safety, there was also the concern of keeping opportunities equitable for all students, said Dave Hancock, South Eugene’s athletic director and boys basketball coach.
“To be honest, I don’t know how (4J) could have done anything else,” Hancock said. “If we can’t have kids in the classroom, I don’t know how we could practice.”
Two other Eugene high schools will continue to keep their options open.
Willamette, a member of the Bethel school district and the Midwestern League, is giving students the option of returning to school under a hybrid model that combines in-person and distance learning. There is also comprehensive distance learning option for those students choosing to stay home for school.
Because Willamette is opening up, sports can continue to operate in a well-regulated, socially distanced capacity.
In a recent email sent to parents, Willamette athletic director Thomas Armstrong wrote that teams “may continue to provide students opportunities for conditioning, weight training and non-contact drills that abide with all safety criteria as set forth by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Oregon Health Authority (OHA), Oregon Department of Education (ODE), the Governor, and the OSAA.”
It’s a similar situation at Marist, a private high school in Eugene under the purview of the Archdiocese of Portland and the Department of Catholic Schools, which also includes such schools as Portland’s Jesuit and Central Catholic.
The Class 4A Spartans will continue to allow workouts and weight room sessions for their athletes, said athletic director and boys basketball coach Bart Pollard.
The rest of Eugene and Springfield’s schools will take a wait-and-see approach to when their athletes are allowed back on the field.
“It’s really pretty simple,” Sheldon athletic director and assistant principle Heather Stein said. “If it’s not safe to be in school, it’s not safe to bring back students for sports. We’re focused on December and getting kids back in school with their classmates.”
Follow Chris Hansen on Twitter @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com. For more sports coverage, visit registerguard.com. Want more stories like this? Subscribe to get unlimited access and support local journalism.
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