Though practices for an altered, scaled-down fall sports season are scheduled to get underway next week throughout most of Central New York, Solvay High School has decided to wait further.

Solvay announced Thursday that it would move its remaining fall sports – boys and girls soccer, boys and girls cross country – to “Fall Sports Season II”, which begins March 1, 2021 and concludes on April 30, 2021.

Other than cross country and soccer, Solvay only conducts football, girls volleyball and cheerleading in the fall season.

Those sports, deemed “high-risk”, were moved by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association to Fall Sports Season II earlier this month.

In a letter to district parents, Solvay athletic director John Dippold cited several reasons for the move, including his belief that soccer, while considered “low-risk” by current state health standards, did not fit that low-risk criteria.

Dippold said the school did not want to jeopardize its current “hybrid” learning schedule, where students are attending in-person classes two days a week and getting remote instruction the rest of the week.

Also, Dippold cited the fact that Solvay’s cross country course is currently closed and that Section III had already decided there would be no sectional tournaments during the fall season.

“This has certainly been a strange, frustrating and anxiety-ridden time for all,” said Dippold. “Most of this is out of our control and the uncertainty creates the most anxiety. In the end, we will persevere together.”

For now, Solvay still intends to fully compete in winter sports, whose practices are scheduled to begin Nov. 30 and include boys and girls basketball, ice hockey, indoor track and field and wrestling. The school said it would also start recreational sports activities as soon as it is practical.

The start of winter and spring sports seasons was pushed back by NYSPHSAA to accommodate Fall Sports Season II, with the spring slate of baseball, softball, boys and girls track and golf slated to begin at Solvay on April 19.

Solvay’s announcement followed a decision by Syracuse City schools to also move low-risk fall sports to March.

Also, girls swim teams from West Genesee and Skaneateles saw their respective leagues move their seasons to Fall Sports Season II.

Both the Salt City Athletic Conference, where WG competes, and the Onondaga High School League, where Skaneateles competes, cited difficulty in using venues for the move. WG has home meets at its own pool, while Skaneateles uses the Community Center YMCA.

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