There will be no fall sports played in the South Coast Conference and at Old Colony this fall.

“It’s official,” said GNB Voc-Tech athletic director Ryan Methia on Wednesday afternoon. “It came down in a joint letter from the South Coast Conference superintendents.

“The decision wasn’t made lightly. The superintendents in our conference care about sports and they care about our athletes, but they had to make a very difficult decision. At the end of the day I understand where the superintendents are coming from.”

GNBVT Student-Athletes, Parents/Guardians & Athletic Community, please read the two documents below about the delay in Fall Sports. Any questions please contact Ryan Methia@GNBVTHSpic.twitter.com/2gtquChz8X

— GNBVT Athletics (@GNBVTathletics)September 2, 2020

With schools so focused on their academic plans — whether it be hybrid or remote learning — adding in athletics at this point appeared to be too much as the SCC’s superintendents voted 8-2 in favor of beginning interscholastic sports with the winter season and deferring fall sports to a later date.

“As much planning as there is to do to get back into school buildings and back to education, it’s a lot to take on for districts to add other elements of the full student experience,” said Fairhaven athletic director Chris Carrig. “Sept. 18 is not really far away and there are a lot of factors to consider. This isn’t a ‘no.’ It allows us time to plan and get it right and that makes sense.”

Wednesday’s announcement sparked some disappointment.

“I’m disappointed that it’s not Fall I, but I am hopeful we can provide the students with a meaningful experience,” Carrig said. “I am hopeful.”

Apponequet athletic director Jim Cabucio agreed, “Everybody is disappointed — athletic directors, principals and superintendents. We just lost a spring season and we know the impact that had. But now the focus really has to be what can we do to get three meaningful seasons out of the remainder of the school year. Our focus is going to be on tomorrow and not on yesterday.”

When the MIAA had announced its plans for the 2020-21 athletic calendar last month, it included the addition of a “floating” Fall II season (Feb. 22 through April 25) wedged between the winter and spring that would house football, competitive cheer and unified basketball, but could also be a landing spot for other fall sports if schools and leagues choose to.

“It’s not a cancellation of their season; it’s a delay,” Methia said. “We’re going to work as a league and a school to put the most meaningful program together for them during a time like no other.

“I’m sure the majority of the kids will be disappointed, but we’re going to do the best we can to put something together for these kids.”

Since the SCC has made the decision to move its fall sports as a whole, it has opened up more possibilities when it comes to scheduling since many involved have concerns about playing outdoor sports in February, the proposed start of Fall II.

“February is not a month we’ll be playing outdoor sports, but as a conference we’re now allowed to tweak that to make it a manageable season,” Cabucio said. “The fact that we have options when we can start a season is a positive so you can tailor it to your particular conference. We’re focused on the flexibility to move our seasons around as a conference.

“We haven’t decided as a conference what format we will have, but we’ll work to figure out how we can deliver the best situation for our kids.”

Old Colony athletic director Matt Trahan is happy to move forward with planning now that the Cougars have decided to move all fall sports to the Fall II season.

“We’re going to do everything we can to make a Fall II season special,” he said. “Our No. 1 goal is to get the kids back into the building and safely. I’m all for sports, but it has to be done safely.”

We are committed to support a safe and seamless transition back into our school, Old Colony has decided to postpone all Fall, 2020 sports until the start of the “Fall II” season in March, 2021. More information will be forthcoming.@OldColonyRVTHS@OCCougarFootbal@SC_Varsitypic.twitter.com/jlYjaHwcjy

— Cougar Athletics (@AthleticCougars)September 2, 2020

Trahan said that he was starting to feel the crunch with Sept. 18, the proposed start date of Fall I practices, quickly approaching.

“This is getting down to the wire,” he said. “You feel the pressure of trying to make something happen. It’s the ifs and buts and not knowing that was concerning. For us it’s all about the safety of our students. I’m happy we’re all in agreement and now we can plan and move on.”

The Mayflower Athletic Conference as a whole is currently in discussion about its plans moving forward.

Trahan also said that the modifications established by the MIAA for fall sports played a role in Old Colony’s decision making.

“In volleyball, you can’t spike the ball and you can’t have fans. What sport are you playing?” he said. “Our kids train hard and now you’re asking your kids to peel off and not be as aggressive.”

Some schools that are moving their sports to Fall II may look into filling Fall I with strength and conditioning programs or practices since the MIAA lifted rule 40, which forbid coaches from working with their athletes outside of their competitive season.

“We’re now in a very long offseason,” Carrig said. “Being able to provide something to them in the meantime is my priority. What is it going to take to get kids active? I don’t know what it’s going to look like yet. I also don’t know what a safe return to athletics looks like and what a reasonable expectation is.”

Since GNB Voc-Tech services students from three districts, a concern there was getting kids to practice.

“There could be some major issues with kids being at home until 2 p.m. and getting them back to school for practice,” said Methia. “I know in our building and in other buildings, the toughest question to answer was access for all kids. It comes down to fair and equitable access.”

“This whole year is going to be a challenge for every sport for every season,” Cabucio said. “We just have to move forward.”

Carrig said he’s confident the SCC will come up with a solid plan to provide student-athletes with three athletic seasons.

“I’m glad the SCC is such a strong league and we’re all united in it,” he said. “It’s disappointing now, but it’s not going to stop us from giving them a meaningful experience and an experience that they deserve.”

Follow Laurie Los Lee on Twitter @LaurieLosSCT.