CHAPEL HILL — Following the news that the North Carolina High School Athletic Association was loosening some of its restrictions Tuesday, several aspects of the athletic landscape will be shifting in the coming weeks.
As highlighted in a previous article, the most immediate change that will impact Richmond Senior High School student-athletes and coaches is the increase in the number of participants allowed per workout.
Head volleyball coach Ashleigh Larsen confirmed that “from here on out” the Lady Raiders will be training in the gym, not one of the football practice fields. The NCHSAA is now allowing up to 25 participants indoors, and 50 outdoors at each workout.
Playoffs
In Tuesday’s announcement from the Association, there were projected playoff schedules for each sport, as well as the layout for conference tournaments.
The most impacted playoff format was football, which saw its brackets cut in half, having just 32 teams per classification instead of the customary 64 teams.
All other sports will also follow a 32-team playoff bracket. In order to determine wildcard spots in the playoffs, the “conference winning percentage will determine the wildcard spots/teams.” The NCHSAA added it will use previous playoff methods for wrestling and tennis and that “no leap-frogging” will be used (meaning no team can jump ahead of a higher-seeded team from its own conference).
Dead Periods
Student-athletes and coaches must also abide by a series of dead periods, the first of which is a three-day dead period for out-of-season teams during a tryout period or the first day of practice.
Also, the last five student days of the first semester and the last 10 student days of the second semester remain in place. However, the NCHSAA rules allow in-season sports to continue.
Weather Related Make-Ups
The NCHSAA also addressed potential weather-impacted sporting events, stating “one weather-related postponed contest may be played in a week that will not count towards weekly limitation.”
For all sports besides football, teams can compete in up to two games or matches per week without going over the limit.
Regular Season Regulations for Individual Sports
The NCHSAA also released more specific details for six sports it deems to be “individual” events. They are cross country, golf, swimming, tennis, track and field and wrestling. Below are the new guidelines for each sport:
Cross Country
There can be a maximum of four schools per contest, with each team limited to just seven individuals (for a total of 28 participants). If there are meets with just three schools, teams are allowed to have nine individuals, and two-school meets are limited to 14 individuals.
Golf
Male and female golfers will be allowed to practice together, and matches will follow the “triple bogey rule.” In dual matches, teams will be limited to five individuals, while tri-matches can have a maximum of 15 boys and 15 girls total. A four-team match will see teams allowed to bring 20 boys and 20 girls total.
Swimming and Diving
The NCHSAA is allowing both virtual and in-person meets this year. For virtual meets, teams must compete against another school during the same week, and exhibition heats will be allowed.
At in-person dual meets, teams will be limited to participating athletes plus one alternate per relay. In tri-meets, a maximum of 30 boys and 30 girls will be permitted, with no exhibition heats allowed.
Tennis
Like golf, male and female tennis players will be allowed to practice simultaneously when both seasons overlap in the spring. A maximum of two teams will be allowed at matches, and teams are limited to participating athletes plus two alternatives if there are only six competitors.
In the playoffs, there will only be an individual regional tournament and a state tournament. There will be no dual team championships this year.
Track and Field
The NCHSAA is allowing a maximum of four schools per track and field meet, with teams limited to participating athletes plus one alternate per relay.
Wrestling
The look of high school wrestling will be different this spring, as no tournaments will be allowed. Instead, a maximum of two tri-meets per week can take place and teams are limited to just participating athletes. There may only be “head-to-head” competition allowed.
In the playoffs, there will only be an individual regional and state championship. No dual team championships will be held, and wrestle backs will not be allowed in either the regional or state championship tournaments.
Below: the updated season times and playoff schedules for football, golf, tennis, soccer, softball, baseball, track and field, wrestling and cheerleading.
ROSports will continue to update readers on any new changes in the coming weeks.
