PARKERSBURG — Saturday evening has become the time when hopes and dreams for prep athletics to be played the following week in the Mountain State is determined.

Like head golf coaches across the state and players themselves, Bernie Dolan is waiting to see what will come out this weekend on the West Virginia Department of Education website.

Dolan, the executive director of the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission, will have to make decisions about next week’s regional golf tournaments once each county is given their updated color — green, yellow, gold, orange or red — by the W.Va. Department of Health and Human Resources.

A dozen regionals are slated to take place next week and all but one — the Class AAA, Region III meet Tuesday at Berry Hills Country Club — will be played on Monday.

“Wheeling is yellow now and Wheeling was gold on Saturday,” noted Dolan of how things can change. “We think in gold we could’ve done it. Orange is more challenging.”

The Class A, Region I meet is set for Crispin Golf Course at Wheeling’s Oglebay Resort. Defending Class A state champion St. Marys and 2019 state runner-up Ritchie County advanced from that region last year.

Locally, both Mingo Bottom Golf Club in Elizabeth (Class A, Region IV) and Greenhills Country Club in Ravenswood (Class AAA, Region IV) are set to act as host sites with 9 a.m. tee times.

“There is no way Hurricane is coming and I guarantee you Spring Valley won’t be able to play,” noted Parkersburg Big Red head golf coach Don Snider, who like the WVSSAC is looking at contingency plans. “If Ripley (Jackson County) goes gold you’re looking at a four team regional.

“If it comes down to four teams you could almost do it anywhere. That’s four foursomes. That’s all that is. I’d like to see them make an announcement before the 5 o’clock color show to let all the kids play but again, a lot of those teams like Hurricane haven’t even been able to practice as a team. Everybody is playing someplace.”

Dolan knows if the county for any of the host golf courses happens to turn red they “definitely wouldn’t be able to play and orange would be a challenge to play in a county. We would have to find another site.

“Obviously there are a lot of schools we want to see participate. We’ll see if there’s any room for any compromise. There could be changes depending what color a county falls into.”

The two-day state tournament is set for Oct. 6-7 at Oglebay’s Speidel Golf Course.

Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com