LAS CRUCES – Three high school sports in New Mexico are slated to begin practice on Monday, but an uptick in COVID-19 cases throughout the state has at least one sport with more cause for concern. 

Volleyball was listed as a medium risk sport by the New Mexico Activities Association as area teams have been able to practice in small groups this week. Full practice was set to begin on Monday across the state with the first competitions set for next weekend with Mayfield opening the season for Las Cruces Public Schools, traveling to Roswell-Goddard on Oct. 12.

In a call with volleyball coaches on Friday, NMAA director Sally Marquez informed coaches that their sport was currently in a holding pattern. 

“I just told them to remain positive,” Marquez said. 

“I’m in constant communication with the (Public Education Department) and the Governor’s office. Decisions are made based on COVID cases at that time so it’s difficult to make decisions even a month in advance. I follow it closely and it is a concern when cases go up. It’s not just about sports getting going, but about kids getting into school. It concerns me because kids need to be in school.”

As of Friday morning, the NMAA had not received final approval for volleyball, cross country or fall golf tournaments, but the fact that volleyball is an indoor sport seemed to be a sticking point.

“I understand that the NMAA independently put forward fall schedules, but any such activities are always dependent on the public health conditions in the state,” wrote Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s press secretary, Nora Meyers Sackett, in an email to the Sun-News on Friday. “The state will continue to evaluate the data and make evidence-based decisions in the best interest of the health and safety of all New Mexicans, including student athletes, and the governor’s office continues to be in communication with the NMAA on the issue.”

The NMAA’s proposed sports calendar currently has volleyball concluding with the state tournament on December 7. If moved to spring, volleyball would join nearly every other sport New Mexico offers. 

“We are prepared to move forward with the current safety measures in place, and if it’s pushed back a week or two, we are prepared to do that,” LCPS superintendent Karen Trujillo said. “The big thing is playing sports in counties that are ‘green’ counties and ‘red.’ Now we are a ‘red’ county.”

The red, yellow, orange and green system is based on number of new cases per 100,000 and rate of positivity per tests.

Red counties include Luna, Socorro, Doña Ana, Lincoln, Chavez, Eddy, Lea, Roosevelt and Curry – counties that are currently on travel schedules for fall sports for LCPS schools. 

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Marquez said the NMAA will also take guidance regarding travel from the Gov., and that volleyball will begin in January if the sport is moved to the spring.

“We do have an idea where we can place it, but we would have to work with other entities,” Marquez said. “The issue is that the club volleyball world happens virtually at the same time.”

NMAA changes eligibility standards for 2020-21

Trujillo and LCPS athletics director Earnest Viramontes, sit on the NMAA Board of Directors. The NMAA Thursday, voted to amend  scholastic eligibility bylaws for the current school year to use only semester grades with regards to eligibility. Fall athletes essentially have a clean slate, as the 6- and 9-week grade checks for eligibility were eliminated. 

For athletes who will compete in the spring, those students must have a 2.0 grade point average with no failing grades to be eligible for competition. 

“We (LCPS) aren’t going to do anything different,” Trujillo said. “I think it came up because some districts are on six week grading period. Across board, students at the high school level, there was a high level of students not having good grades.”

Trujillo said there were a number of factors that attribute to poor grades during the remote learning period across the state. She said LCPS athletic teams must include an academic period to their return plans. 

“We are asking them to implement academic support with their proposals for coming back,” Trujillo said. “If you want to have a team, make sure that they stay eligible.”

Athletes practicing in masks as they gear up for fall

The Oñate  cross country team is scheduled to compete against other local teams in a meet hosted by Centennial on Oct. 10 and conducted in accordance with the NMAA’s return plan, which includes no spectators, no more than 100 individuals on site and athletes wearing masks. 

“Monday we can start doing longer practices, which will be nice, and give them more individual attention,” Oñate cross country coach David Nunez said. 

Nunez has been working with his team in 9-to-1 pods for 7.5 hours per week. 

Nunez said part of workouts has been about runners experimenting with masks until they find one they feel suits them for competition. 

“They are receptive because if it means wearing a mask means we get to practice and have a season, there hasn’t been much pushback,” Nunez said. “It’s just a matter of getting used to them when we workout.”

Truillo said that Centennial’s volleyball team has been practicing at Oñate and Las Cruces at Mayfield as the district works to meet air filtration standards when and if competition begins. 

“They have worked out the schedule,” Trujillo said. “The gyms at Oñate and Mayfield have continuous airflow systems and the other gyms are refrigerated air that requires more filtration. That has been ordered and will be installed as soon as we get them. 

“As soon as we can get teams in their home gyms, we will.”

Sports Editor Jason Groves can be reached at 575-541-5459 or jgroves@lcsun-news.com. Follow him on Twitter @jpgroves.