The mad scramble that has become high school sports in Pennsylvania continued Wednesday as the PIAA Board of Directors reiterated its stance that school districts can make their own decisions about spectator limits while the Pennsylvania State House came up short in its attempt to override Gov. Tom Wolf’s veto regarding gathering limits.

The failed override led Muhlenberg to reverse its stance on expanded spectator limits just two days after announcing it would join Wilson, Conrad Weiser and other schools across the state in exceeding Wolf’s controversial 25 and 250 limits for indoor and outdoor gatherings.

That was just part of a whirlwind afternoon that saw the PIAA directors abandon standards for the minimum number of contests needed to qualify for the postseason, set the stage for schools to play fall sports in the spring and approve plans for truncated state championships in most sports.

COVID-19 continued to create chaos across the state, just as it has since March when the pandemic forced a stoppage of the state basketball and swimming tournaments, wiped out the spring season and hung a dark cloud over the possibilities of a fall season.

District 1 chairman Dr. Michael Barber, assistant superintendent of the Kennett School District, proposed a series of motions that would allow schools which opted out of fall sports, such as Reading High, to play those sports in the spring.

Barber said nearly half of all schools in his district suspended or delayed fall activities; some have announced in recent weeks their plans to reverse course, but that means they won’t get started until early to mid October.

Barber requested that the regular season be extended, even for teams that lose in the playoffs; that the minimum number of games needed to make the playoffs be reduced; and that schools have the option of moving fall sports to the spring, even after they’ve started playing this fall.

It was a lot to consider but the PIAA Board remained consistent in its COVID-19 approach, which has been to allow schools and sports as much flexibility as possible.

The Board, for the 2020 fall season only, will allow each district to set its own standards regarding playoff minimums. The PIAA standard is that teams must play 33 percent of the maximum number of games allowed to be eligible.

That means that a school such as St. Joseph’s Prep, a football powerhouse which saw its season potentially wiped out when the Philadelphia Catholic League suspended play, could conceivably schedule two or three games, qualify for the District 12 Tournament and then advance to defend its PIAA Class 6A championship.

The PIAA also extended the length of the regular season and will allow teams in all sports to continue playing regular season games through Thanksgiving weekend.

That means that cross country, which will see its PIAA championships conducted Nov. 6-7, could see teams compete three weeks beyond that date. Girls tennis teams can schedule matches for nearly a month after the Oct. 31 PIAA championships.

Soccer and field hockey teams could theoretically compete in the PIAA championships Nov. 20 or 21, then schedule a game or two the following week – even after they’ve lost in the playoffs.

The PIAA maximums for regular season contests remain in place.

PIAA executive director Dr. Robert Lombardi said that most state tournaments have been truncated in order to help with the mitigation of COVID-19. Team sports will see only district champions advance to the state tournament.

The fields for the cross country and golf championships have been trimmed.

The football championships will be played over two days, Nov. 27-28, instead of three days.

Golf championships will be one-day, 18-hole competitions, Oct. 19-20.

Lombardi said that by ending the fall season on Thanksgiving weekend there will be 2-3 weeks between the fall and winter seasons, which will serve as a quarantine period to help mitigate the virus.

As for providing an alternate season for schools which don’t compete in the fall, or which play only a reduced schedule, the PIAA remains committed, though Lombardi said it’s too early to make full plans. That can only be done once the PIAA knows the number of schools which will be involved; that continues to be a moving target since school districts continue to change direction by the day.

“We’re going to make our best effort to give them whatever season they missed,” he said.

Lombardi said there will be no state championship tournaments for fall sports in the spring but individual districts may choose to host them.

As for spectator limits the PIAA held firm to a stance it announced last week, that schools remain free to make their own decisions – at least as long as Wolf’s appeal of a federal ruling is not granted.

A federal judge determined last week that Wolf’s mitigation orders are unconstitutional.

“It’s still up in the air what impact that (judge’s) decision will have,” said Alan Boynton, PIAA general counsel. “If (a stay) is granted, we could be back to following governor’s orders (of 25 and 250 limits).”