Goretti’s plans and hopes of playing fall sports were halted Tuesday. Instead, the Gaels will use the lack of competition as a time of physical and athletic development for the athletes.

“Our school will be open for classes and we will be offering optional workouts,” said Goretti athletic director David Blenckstone. “Our coaches will be on site and able to work with the athletes. We want to offer the students the physical activity that they need.”

The goal is to provide instruction and improve techniques for each athlete.

“For the other offseason sports, it will be nothing different than what they usually do,” Blenckstone said. “But for the fall sports, the coaches are intending to coach like they are in season. The optional workouts will be held daily to give them the opportunity.”

The school year is scheduled to begin Aug. 31 with the practices to start Sept. 1.

It was a far cry from what Goretti had hoped to offer.

Blenckstone was working to create a schedule for soccer and volleyball. The hope was to collect enough games through West Virginia and Pennsylvania public and private schools, along with matchups with western Baltimore private schools, to create a decent-sized schedule.

But those Baltimore schools shut down fall sports last week.

“It was one domino falling after another,” Blenckstone said. “It was clear we had to align with the (Archdiocese of Baltimore) has decided.

“The schedule was becoming really challenging.”

“It all went back to (Washington D.C.) schools cancelling early and then Baltimore,” Blenckstone said. “I don’t know, but I would think more leagues are probably close to doing the same. … The plan was tenuous at best. Especially when it comes to the safety of the students. Everything is challenging when you start opening the school for other teams to come in and with bus trips.”

Any decisions on what sports will be like going forward will be determined later.

Some schools — including the cancelled Washington County public school fall sports — are considering playing their sports in an abbreviated spring schedule, just to give their athletes the chance to compete. It will be especially important to the senior class.

Blenckstone is taking a wait-and-see approach.

“It’s hard to look at this that far ahead right now,” he said. “It would be fantastic to be able to play later. It’s hard to look to the future when there are too many things in the present to address. Hopefully, we’ll be able to play.

“There are no easy answers. We are making the best decisions to ensure the health and safety of our students.”