The opening date for prep fall sports was moved up a week on Friday in an effort to avoid overloading student athletes by having tryouts during the traditional finals week.

The North Coast Section decided to make the move during a board of managers meeting on Friday. The date to register for fall sports is still Dec. 1 with the first day of practice moved up from Dec. 14 to Dec. 7. The first day of actual competition is still set for early January.

Soccer season was also moved up a week, from Feb. 22 to Feb. 15, in part to alleviate the logjam that having soccer and lacrosse playing at the same time would create.

MCAL commissioner Susie Woodall confirmed some other changes to the upcoming seasons, should they be allowed to take place.

In an effort to alleviate the facilities issue created by soccer and lacrosse competing at the same time, the MCAL is planning to start Saturday boys and girls soccer games at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., respectively, to open up availability on Saturday afternoons.

The current plan for golf is to play a single round robin — as opposed to the double round robin — with the girls season taking place in full then the boys season to follow.

Tennis is also expected to move from a double round robin to a single.

Woodall also said that the MCAL will likely need to have league games during the week of spring break for most spring sports.

Other items from the NCS board of managers meeting included the section waiving the requirement of a team having a .500 record in overall, league or division competition to be eligible for the section playoffs during the upcoming season.

Branson was the recipient of the Elmer Brown Award of Excellence for the second consecutive year. The Elmer Brown Award is given annually to the NCS school that has accumulated the most athletic, academic and sportsmanship points. Tam finished second in the standings behind the Bulls.

“This isn’t just about the win-loss record,” Woodall said. “It’s about complete programs, good coaching and excellence in the classroom. For the MCAL to have the two top schools, it’s extraordinary.”

College sports

Programs at Dominican University have been on hiatus since the PacWest Conference decided on July 24 to postpone all athletic competition until Jan. 1.

The conference initially set a deadline of Oct. 1 to announce an update on the status of fall, winter and spring sports.

The presidents of the PacWest voted on a plan on Friday and are expected to make those details public on Monday.