Most Merrimack Valley Sports On Hold With 6 High-Risk Communities

ANDOVER, MA — The Merrimack Valley Conference is putting most interscholastic sports on hold for at least a week, after five communities were identified as high-risk for coronavirus in the state's updated town-by-town data, Wednesday.

Those five communities — Dracut, Haverhill, Lowell, Methuen and North Andover — joined Lawrence in reporting more than eight cases per 100,000 residents, over the last two weeks. The six cities and towns account for seven of the conference's 11 high schools.

In response to the news, a group of superintendents said Thursday that competitions in "moderate risk" sports are postponed until at least next week's health update, at which point they will reassess. Those sports, as defined by the state, include field hockey, soccer, and volleyball.

Low risk sports, where students from opposing schools do not physically interact, will continue as scheduled. That includes golf and cross-country.

"High risk" sports including cheer, football and unified basketball have already been moved to the "Fall II" season later in the year. The moderate risk sports may join those sports in "Fall II," or could resume with modified schedules.

"We know that athletics is an important experience for our students and for our school communities as a whole," the superintendents said. "As such, we are committed to providing opportunities for our student-athletes to participate in interscholastic competitions. However, we must also balance this commitment with our highest priority of keeping our students, staff, and community safe during the current health crisis."

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.