All Kansas high school athletics delayed until after Sept. 7, Gov. Kelly orders
The state of Kansas has seemingly taken another step toward having no high school sports whatsoever this fall.
Sept. 3 was supposed to be the beginning of Week 1 for high school football. The first day of competition for girls golf and tennis was to have been Aug. 21. But that won’t happen following Gov. Laura Kelly’s order mandating that all Kansas schools remain closed until after Labor Day, Sept. 7, pending Kansas Board of Education approval.
For those wondering whether her order affected the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA), she made that clear, too.
“The executive order will apply to all K-12 activities or academics,” Kelly said during a Wednesday news conference. “Kansas State High School Activities oversees sports, theater, drama, debate, all those kinds of things. So, yeah, sports will be included in that.”
KSHSAA released the following statement early Tuesday evening:
“The KSHSAA believes participation in school and school activities is critical for the students of Kansas, and we strive to provide those opportunities for students this fall. This Friday (July 17), the KSHSAA had planned to distribute considerations and guidance for all fall activities to take place starting Aug. 17. With the announcement today (July 15) from Gov. Kelly, we will not release any information Friday. Rather, we will go back and look at models and plans that are in place with a delayed start and release information when appropriate.”
Tuesday’s announcement comes just two weeks after KSHSAA hosted a virtual news conference about the state of fall athletics. Executive director Bill Faflick said then that he anticipated some member schools would not complete a full nine-game football schedule this year because of COVID-19 concerns.
He said the KSHSAA eligibility platform is based on “students being enrolled and attending the member school they are representing.” Faflick also said during the July 1 session that KSHSAA knew that at least some high schools would move to a hybrid model of in-class and virtual learning this autumn.
“If you’re concerned about going to school because of the virus and that potential contamination, potential exposure, why would you want to go to practice or participate in games?” Faflick asked.
Tuesday’s order postpones some of Kansas’ most anticipated events across all fall sports, including the following football games previously scheduled for Week 1:
Blue Valley North at Bishop Miege
St. James Academy at St. Thomas Aquinas
Gardner-Edgerton at Mill Valley
Lawrence at Olathe East
Wichita Northwest at Bishop Carroll
Andover at Maize
Buhler at Goddard
Derby at Newcastle (OK)
This story was originally published July 15, 2020 at 5:08 PM.