Allegany County postpones fall sports to Jan. 4

November 12, 2020

CUMBERLAND — Two weeks after the fall sports season kicked off for Allegany County public high schools, the Board of Education voted to fully postpone the season until 2021 due to the county’s COVID-19 numbers.

Effective Nov. 5, all ACPS in-person activities and athletics were suspended, leading to Tuesday evening’s decision.

The move shifts the sports calendar around under the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association two-semester plan, with winter sports kicking things off once athletics can resume, followed by fall sports and then spring athletics to round out the school year.

The two-semester plan would have winter sports — basketball, wrestling and indoor track — beginning practice Dec. 7, with competition dates running Jan. 4, 2021, through Feb. 13. Football, soccer, volleyball and cross country would be permitted to start practice Feb. 13 and games March 5 with the final play date being April 17. Spring athletics would begin practicing April 17, with games ranging May 7 to June 19.

The winter season — and fall and spring seasons, of course — could be altered, as the Dec. 7 start date for practice is dependent on community health metrics showing a coronavirus positivity rate less than 5%. Allegany County’s positivity rate on Wednesday was 9.11%, the highest in the state. If the first practice date is pushed back, the first date of games would be altered as schools are held to 20 days of required practice time prior to games beginning.

Also on Wednesday, Garrett County Public Schools canceled in-person extracurricular activities, athletic events and practices. As of Wednesday evening, it is unclear if Garrett County will shift to the same plan as Allegany, but remains a strong possibility due to the limited number of opponents to schedule. On Sunday, Bishop Walsh also postponed fall sports.