COLUMBUS — As many Valley high school coaches and athletes took part in the first day of training on Saturday, the Ohio Department of Health extended an order for contact sports competition that includes a requirement for strict COVID-19 testing.

It’s not clear that competition will actually begin — Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine has not yet announced if he believes it’s safe to reopen schools or for high school sports to resume later this month.

If they do, the current Ohio order says players, coaches, athletic trainers, support staff and officials must receive a negative COVID-19 test result before traveling to a competition or an intrasquad competition. The tests must be administered 72 hours ahead of the competition and results must be in hand. Testing nationwide has been delayed, and many people are not getting results back within 72 hours.

DeWine can ultimately amend or eliminate the requirement, but as of now, coaches are having trouble imagining how such a requirement could work. 

Jim Pfleger, athletic director of Garfield High School in nearby Portage County, told the Kent Record-Courier that “it’s the same guidance they put out a couple weeks ago that said you’re going to need a COVID test, everybody involved and your players, which obviously isn’t feasible.

“So now my head is spinning again.”

The Ohio Department of Health on Friday announced more than 1,000 new confirmed coronavirus cases in the state for the 23rd time in 24 days.

The OSHAA’s fall contact sports are football, soccer and field hockey. Ohio also defines basketball, hockey, rugby, lacrosse, wrestling, boxing, futsal and martial arts with opponents as contact sports at any level.

The health department’s order had good news for one sport: The designation of cross country changed from contact to non-contact sport. The OHSAA’s other non-contact sports are golf, tennis and volleyball.

This week, athletes in golf and tennis can compete against other schools. Volleyball matches can be held on Aug. 21 and cross country meets on Aug. 24.

Some schools aren’t waiting for DeWine to act. Wooster schools have postponed all fall sports until Oct. 1.

The Senate Athletic League made up of nine schools in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District has postponed sports for nine weeks while students begin the school year with remote learning.

No school in the Mahoning Valley has announced any sports postponements or cancellations. Youngstown schools will begin with remote learning while Boardman schools won’t begin classroom instruction before Sept. 14.

The Youngstown Phantoms ice hockey team, a member of the USHL that plays at the Covelli Centre, is subject to Ohio’s contact sports rule. The Phantoms players range in age from 16 to 20, but the team is not subject to OHSAA rules.

The Phantoms, a member of the nation’s top-tier junior hockey league, are the only USHL team in Ohio.