Syracuse, N.Y. — Section III high school administrators are voting on a menu of options this week that will likely determine the fate of fall scholastic sports.

John Rathbun, executive director of Section III, said surveys have gone out to all 106 districts asking them to weigh in on one of three options.

They are:

• Stay with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s current plan of letting sports considered low risk for coronavirus spread, such as cross country, golf, soccer, swimming and field hockey, begin practice on Sept. 21 and then play games while letting high-risk sports like volleyball and football practice but not yet play.
• Let the low-risk sports practice and play and permit the high risk sports practice for a week and then if they don’t get full clearance by Sept. 28 move them to after Jan. 1.
• Move all low- and high-risk sports fall until after Jan. 1.

Rathbun said each school’s ballot must be signed by its superintendent, athletic director and high school principal. The votes are not binding, but they will be tallied and considered by the section’s executive committee. Rathbun said that group is expected to meet and make a decision about fall sports on Friday.

Little Falls field hockey coach Monica Tooley, a member of the Section III executive committee, said she has no idea what the district votes and Friday’s subsequent meeting will produce.

“What I’m hearing and what we’ve been saying is you have to look region to region (at infection rates),” she said. “Fortunately, our region has been good in numbers, so hopefully it’s good to go.”

Last week, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association issued return to play guidelines for districts to consider. Robert Zayas, executive director of the NYSPHSAA, will hold zoom meetings with section executive directors today and Wednesday to clear up any questions they have.

Rathbun has always said the general hope among administrators is to open up fall sports, but the issue of digesting the coronavirus guidelines and working out the re-opening of schools overall is complex.

“The timing of all this has been very difficult for all of us,” he said. “I have a gut feeling that school districts will make a decision that’s in the best interests of their students.”

Central Square superintendent Tom Colabufo, a member of the section’s Chief School Officer committee, said he’s sticking by his personal belief that fall sports should be allowed.

“Every school district is different. Every district has different variables,” he said. “There’s a huge aspect of sports and how they play a role in developing the whole child. I am hoping that other superintendents are doing what they can do to try and find an opportunity for their students.”

Saquoit Valley superintendent Ron Wheeler, chairperson of the CSO committee, agreed.

“I think people are in different places,” Wheeler said. “From a superintendent’s perspective, we’re laser-focused on the start of a safe school year. Yes, we do want to get athletics back. We just don’t know if the timing is right at this time.”

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Lindsay Kramer is a reporter for the Syracuse Post-Standard and syracuse.com. Got a comment or idea for a story? He can be reached via email at LKramer@Syracuse.com.