HAMLET — Wednesday’s closed-door meeting between top Richmond County Schools and Department of Health and Human Services officials yielded the same result as the previous one earlier this month.
Just over a week since the group first decided to continue the high school sports dead period, despite the North Carolina High School Athletic Association lifting the ban, another week was added to the waiting list for local athletes and coaches.
Meeting to discuss and assess the current coronavirus data were superintendent Dr. Jeff Maples, Dr. Julian Carter, Mr. Dennis Quick, Coach Mitch Haddinger, Principal Jim Butler and Athletic Director Rob Ransom. Also on hand was Dr. Tommy Jarrell, Richmond County’s Director of Health and Human Services.
The NCHSAA announced on June 8 that it would be lifting its ban on June 15, but was leaving the final decision to resume summer practices and workouts up to local educational agencies (LEAs).
Richmond Senior High School coaches and student-athletes, who haven’t been able to hold organized workouts since the initial dead period went into play on March 13, will now have to await their fate for at least another week.
“Based on the local and state numbers, we decided to postpone (athletic resumption) again,” Ransom told the Richmond Observer. “The fact that the surrounding counties and surrounding areas are not yet working out, we thought it was in the best interest to wait until July 6.
“There will probably be a reevaluation on July 1,” he continued. “Several other big counties, like Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Wake and Cumberland, aren’t working out yet. And we felt like our kids aren’t really getting behind because all of them are waiting.
“We felt like it was in the best interest of our kids to wait and see,” he closed.
According to a post made by the Richmond County DHHS on Wednesday, there were four new positive cases for COVID-19, as well as two patients hospitalized. The new total case count rose to 221 individuals, while 1,686 tests have come back negative.
The last time any Richmond Senior High School athlete touched a playing field was March 12, when the boys’ and girls’ track and field and girls’ soccer teams competed for what would be the final time of the spring season.
Currently, it’s been 98 days since any formal workouts or athletic instruction have taken place.
July 1 starts the first and only mandated summertime dead period issued by the NCHSAA. The Richmond Observer will report on the outcome of RCS’ next meeting regarding the resumption of athletics.
