As fall sports near return, NCISAA may play without fans
By Jimmy Lewis jlewis@wilsontimes.com | 265-7807 | Twitter: @JimmyLewisWT
Don’t look now, but in due course, balls will be bouncing again amongst fall private school programs in The Wilson Times readership area.
Starting two weeks from Tuesday, the North Carolina Christian School Association plans to launch its fall calendar in full as all sports, including boys soccer and volleyball, make their return to the fields and courts of play. Mass gathering restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic will be in place so long as Gov. Roy Cooper keeps North Carolina in Phase 2 of the state’s reopening, and should there be a move to Phase 3 by the deadline of Sept. 11, the NCCSA may adopt its own measures to slowly reintroduce spectators to playing environments.
In the case of the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association, those sports considered “low risk” such as girls tennis, girls golf and cross-country will begin Sept. 8. Volleyball and boys soccer, classified as “moderate risk,” will be allowed to begin competition one week later.
Football, placed in the high-risk category, is slated for a Sept. 11 return at the earliest. Community Christian School, which sponsors eight-player football, has constructed a six-game schedule that opens Sept. 25 with Halifax Academy at home.
Mandatory practice for football, which replaced voluntary workouts, opened Monday.
But for the moment, the NCISAA plans to reintroduce its sports programs without fans or parents in attendance. CCS athletic director Bryan Walker, who serves on the association’s board of advisers alongside Greenfield athletic director Rob Salter, said that approach may be revisited before the end of the week. Fans, including parents that aren’t considered essential game day personnel, would have to watch the proceedings from the parking lot area. Walker said that restriction would be lifted if the contest was held at a public park, a common scenario in cross-country meets.
Comparatively, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association won’t launch cross-country and volleyball until Nov. 16, with swimming and diving the only other sport given a 2020 competitive start date. Swimming and diving meets may begin Dec. 7.
“As of right now, we won’t be allowed to have fans,” Walker said. “That’s stuff that we’re talking about for the future. It’s not set in stone.”
Walker deemed it a priority for NCISAA officials to return student-athletes to the field, for athletes and parents alike.
“I’m more optimistic now than I was a couple weeks ago,” Walker said of a timely resumption of play. “I figure there’s a little optimism, not only among athletic directors, but heads of schools, especially in the east. COVID cases are down in the eastern part of the state, but when we make decisions, we have to make them for the state as a whole.”
As of Monday, Walker, along with Greenfield’s Salter and Wilson Christian athletic director Brian Trull, indicated that there were no positive cases of COVID-19 in their respective departments.
Should the NCCSA continue on its present course, Wilson Christian will host Greenville Christian in both soccer and volleyball on Sept. 8. The Chargers, who lost 2-0 to Walkertown Gospel Light in the NCCSA 2-A title match in 2019 en route to an 18-5-3 record, bring back a junior-heavy roster that will be paced by the senior trio of Ethan Mitchell, Jack Ortiz and Spencer Castro. Among the juniors will be a Hunt transfer in Nestor Castro alongside Will Hoskins and Alex Torres. WCA head coach Don Samson indicated that Torres will play “a more significant role for us.”
Wilson Christian opened soccer practice for 2020 on Aug. 1.
“It’s unique for sure,” Samson said of the delay caused by the pandemic. “Our guys are focused, and they’re itching to go. They were ready to play two weeks ago, honestly. It’s that holding period and not trying to get them burned out.”
On the other hand, Greenfield will enter its Sept. 15 opener with Raleigh Friendship Christian on Forbes Field looking to defend the first NCISAA 1-A crown of the Eric Nguyen era. The Knights went 17-3-2, winning a state title after being denied in the championship match during Nguyen’s first season at the helm.
With seven seniors on the Greenfield roster in 2020, Nguyen realizes the importance of sending this group out with a positive experience after the girls season was cut short in March due to the onset of the pandemic.
The midfield of Jeremy Alvarez, Sebastian Partida and Nathan Lozevski all return for Greenfield alongside the senior centerback group of Will Powell, Cabell Metts and Frankie Peele.
“I went through the spring without being able to give the senior girls a proper sendoff,” Nguyen said. “I want to send these boys out with hopefully, back-to-back state championships.”
Both CCS and Wilson Christian reported increased enrollment entering the 2020-21 school year. Wilson Christian returned to in-person learning on Aug. 19.
“School wide, we’re seeing that enrollment numbers are up this year at a fairly large rate,” Samson said. “Because for us, it’s being in school. I’m just thankful that we’re in a place where we can offer kids this.”
By Jimmy Lewis jlewis@wilsontimes.com | 265-7807 | Twitter: @JimmyLewisWT
Don’t look now, but in due course, balls will be bouncing again amongst fall private school programs in The Wilson Times readership area.
Starting two weeks from Tuesday, the North Carolina Christian School Association plans to launch its fall calendar in full as all sports, including boys soccer and volleyball, make their return to the fields and courts of play. Mass gathering restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic will be in place so long as Gov. Roy Cooper keeps North Carolina in Phase 2 of the state’s reopening, and should there be a move to Phase 3 by the deadline of Sept. 11, the NCCSA may adopt its own measures to slowly reintroduce spectators to playing environments.
In the case of the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association, those sports considered “low risk” such as girls tennis, girls golf and cross-country will begin Sept. 8. Volleyball and boys soccer, classified as “moderate risk,” will be allowed to begin competition one week later.
Football, placed in the high-risk category, is slated for a Sept. 11 return at the earliest. Community Christian School, which sponsors eight-player football, has constructed a six-game schedule that opens Sept. 25 with Halifax Academy at home.
Mandatory practice for football, which replaced voluntary workouts, opened Monday.
But for the moment, the NCISAA plans to reintroduce its sports programs without fans or parents in attendance. CCS athletic director Bryan Walker, who serves on the association’s board of advisers alongside Greenfield athletic director Rob Salter, said that approach may be revisited before the end of the week. Fans, including parents that aren’t considered essential game day personnel, would have to watch the proceedings from the parking lot area. Walker said that restriction would be lifted if the contest was held at a public park, a common scenario in cross-country meets.
Comparatively, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association won’t launch cross-country and volleyball until Nov. 16, with swimming and diving the only other sport given a 2020 competitive start date. Swimming and diving meets may begin Dec. 7.
“As of right now, we won’t be allowed to have fans,” Walker said. “That’s stuff that we’re talking about for the future. It’s not set in stone.”
Walker deemed it a priority for NCISAA officials to return student-athletes to the field, for athletes and parents alike.
“I’m more optimistic now than I was a couple weeks ago,” Walker said of a timely resumption of play. “I figure there’s a little optimism, not only among athletic directors, but heads of schools, especially in the east. COVID cases are down in the eastern part of the state, but when we make decisions, we have to make them for the state as a whole.”
As of Monday, Walker, along with Greenfield’s Salter and Wilson Christian athletic director Brian Trull, indicated that there were no positive cases of COVID-19 in their respective departments.
Should the NCCSA continue on its present course, Wilson Christian will host Greenville Christian in both soccer and volleyball on Sept. 8. The Chargers, who lost 2-0 to Walkertown Gospel Light in the NCCSA 2-A title match in 2019 en route to an 18-5-3 record, bring back a junior-heavy roster that will be paced by the senior trio of Ethan Mitchell, Jack Ortiz and Spencer Castro. Among the juniors will be a Hunt transfer in Nestor Castro alongside Will Hoskins and Alex Torres. WCA head coach Don Samson indicated that Torres will play “a more significant role for us.”
Wilson Christian opened soccer practice for 2020 on Aug. 1.
“It’s unique for sure,” Samson said of the delay caused by the pandemic. “Our guys are focused, and they’re itching to go. They were ready to play two weeks ago, honestly. It’s that holding period and not trying to get them burned out.”
On the other hand, Greenfield will enter its Sept. 15 opener with Raleigh Friendship Christian on Forbes Field looking to defend the first NCISAA 1-A crown of the Eric Nguyen era. The Knights went 17-3-2, winning a state title after being denied in the championship match during Nguyen’s first season at the helm.
With seven seniors on the Greenfield roster in 2020, Nguyen realizes the importance of sending this group out with a positive experience after the girls season was cut short in March due to the onset of the pandemic.
The midfield of Jeremy Alvarez, Sebastian Partida and Nathan Lozevski all return for Greenfield alongside the senior centerback group of Will Powell, Cabell Metts and Frankie Peele.
“I went through the spring without being able to give the senior girls a proper sendoff,” Nguyen said. “I want to send these boys out with hopefully, back-to-back state championships.”
Both CCS and Wilson Christian reported increased enrollment entering the 2020-21 school year. Wilson Christian returned to in-person learning on Aug. 19.
“School wide, we’re seeing that enrollment numbers are up this year at a fairly large rate,” Samson said. “Because for us, it’s being in school. I’m just thankful that we’re in a place where we can offer kids this.”
