Some High School Sports Must Wait for Winter Season

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High school student-athletes competing in the winter sports of basketball, wrestling, ice hockey and competitive cheer, which are considered high risk, may have to wait until the end of the year to learn if they can begin practicing on Jan. 4.

This affects athletic programs in the Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) and New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA), which includes some Catholic school teams.

The CHSAA is represented by Catholic high schools from the archdiocese in the Hudson Valley, Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx. The NYSPHSAA includes four Catholic high schools in the archdiocese—Albertus Magnus in Bardonia, The Ursuline School in New Rochelle, Our Lady of Lourdes in Poughkeepsie and John S. Burke Catholic in Goshen.

A decision to begin high-risk winter sports Jan. 4 could result in competitive tackle football action starting in March in the Catholic High School Football League. The league had 7 on 7 flag football in the fall after tackle football was ruled by the state as a high-risk fall sport.

Low- and moderate-risk winter sports in the CHSAA and NYSPHSAA were scheduled to begin practice Nov. 30. Those sports include bowling, gymnastics, indoor track and field, skiing, and swimming and diving. Student-athletes are eligible to compete in games and meets once they’ve participated in the required number of preseason practices.

         Burke Catholic competes in Section 9’s Orange County League. Chris Mayo, the league coordinator, announced Nov. 25 the league would push back to Jan. 19 the start date of all low-, moderate- and high-risk winter sports.