Suffolk HS Sports Postponed; State Winter Championships Canceled

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — As all winter championships across New York high school sports were canceled due to rising coronavirus numbers, Suffolk County's Section XI decided to postpone all school sports until Jan. 4, 2021, the organization announced Friday.

"While this was a difficult decision, we feel it was the best move for the health and safety of everyone involved," Section XI Executive Director Tom Combs said via news release. "We still have a lot of hard work ahead in planning and executing on the three seasons across six months in 2021, but we look forward to the challenge and collaboration with our member schools and providing an impactful experience for our student-athletes and coaches."

Section XI cited the potential for increased positive cases of the coronavirus; the health and safety of student-athletes, coaches, officials and staff members; a reduced number of spectators; a lack of locker room and facility use; increased costs in transportation and security for school districts; and equity among all school districts as reasons for its decision.

Section XI’s Athletic Council voted this week to postpone the fall season and condense all three seasons — fall, winter, spring — from January through June. Section XI will run three complete seasons for the varsity, junior varsity and modified levels. These seasons would allow all teams to play an adapted season that leads to a championship.

The seasons would run as follows:

Varsity and Junior Varsity

• Season 1 (Winter), Jan. 4 through Feb. 27
• Season 2 (Fall), March 1 through May 1
• Season 3 (Spring), April 26 through June 19

Modified sports

• Season 1 (Winter), Jan. 4 through Feb. 6
• Season 2 (Late Winter), Feb. 8 through March 20
• Season 3 (Fall), March 22 through May 8
• Season 4 (Spring), May 10 through June 12

In addition to all winter championships being canceled throughout New York, "high-risk" sports were also postponed by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA). The New York State Department of Health determined the following NYSPHSAA-endorsed sports to be high risk: basketball, boys lacrosse, competitive cheerleading, football, ice hockey, volleyball and wrestling.

Winter State Championships that were canceled include bowling, basketball, boys swimming & diving, competitive cheerleading, gymnastics, indoor track & field, ice hockey, skiing and wrestling. The cancellation addressed membership concerns regarding increased travel, hotels, transportation and meal planning. Venue capacity limitations and social distancing restrictions were cited as obstacles in ensuring the safety of student-athletes, coaches and families, according to the NYSPHSAA.