Despite snow and ice being on the ground in most Ohio communities, Monday, February 22nd represents the start of the Spring Sports season for Ohio High School Athletic Association member schools.
This includes, baseball, softball, lacrosse and track and field. Boys tennis practice then begins March 8th. While regular season contests for lacrosse can begin on March 19th, the other spring sports can begin play on March 27th.
This is a welcome sign for thousands of Ohio high school athletes after their spring sports seasons were cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The OHSAA Board of Directors has approved the tournament regulations in softball, baseball, track & field and boys tennis, with those state tournament venues to be:
Boys Tennis: Lindner Family Tennis Center, Mason, May 28-29
Softball: Firestone Stadium, Akron, June 3-5
Baseball: Canal Park, Akron, June 10-12 Softball: Firestone Stadium, Akron, June 3-5
Track & Field: Division I at Hilliard Darby High School; Division II at Pickerington North High School; Division III at Westerville North High School
Renovated in 2019, UD Arena has a seating capacity of 13,000 and has played host to many OHSAA basketball tournament games, along with Atlantic 10 Conference and NCAA tournament games. During the regular season, it is the home of the very successful University of Dayton Flyers women’s and men’s basketball teams.
“We are very excited to sign a three-year agreement for our member schools to experience UD Arena,” Snodgrass said. “Southwest Ohio loves and supports basketball and the people at the University of Dayton have made it clear that they really want this state tournament on their campus. We believe that we have found a great home for the girls basketball state tournament.”
UD Arena recently completed a transformation project that was the largest construction effort in the University’s history. It is regarded as one of the nation’s premier basketball facilities to go along with fan support that consistently ranks among the best in college basketball.
“We’re very proud that the OHSAA has entrusted us to host the girls basketball state tournament at the University of Dayton Arena for the next three years,” said Scott DeBolt, Senior Associate Athletics Director at the University of Dayton and Executive Director of UD Arena. “The same ingredients that make UD Arena the ideal place for the NCAA First Four – community support and excitement for the game of basketball, our facilities, staff and tournament hosting experience – will help create lifelong memories for the young women who come to Dayton to play in the state tournament and their school communities.”
In the 45 years of the OHSAA girls basketball state tournament, it has been hosted at The Ohio State University 44 times (all but 1986 when it was hosted at the University of Akron). However, there are now a limited number of dates available to use OSU’s Jerome Schottenstein Center or St. John Arena in March.
The 2021 girls basketball state tournament is scheduled for March 11-13. The 2021 OHSAA boys basketball state tournament will be played at St. John Arena March 18-20. There is currently no host site in place for the boys basketball state tournament in 2022.
Photo Credit: Dayton Daily News, provided by the OHSAA
OHSAA Executive Director Jerry Snodgrass sent the memo to school administrators following Governor DeWine’s press conference. For weeks, the OHSAA has communicated with schools that spring sports would be canceled if school facilities were closed. In addition to facilities not being opened, it would be impossible to ensure the health and safety of all individuals and support personnel involved in practices and contests at all member schools.
“As we have stated in our previous communications, today’s announcement by Governor DeWine to close schools for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year also will now result in the cancellation of OHSAA-sponsored spring sports seasons including tournaments,” Snodgrass wrote Monday.
The OHSAA’s mandatory no-contact period for all interscholastic sports remained in effect until at least May 3, which could be extended. Coaches and school administrators are encouraged to have non-mandatory electronic and online communications with their student-athletes. The closure of school facilities includes all athletic facilities for any interscholastic training, practice or competition.
In an interview Monday afternoon, Snodgrass reflected on the unprecedented times that the pandemic has brought to the nation and the impact it has had on schools and interscholastic athletics.
“I’ve heard from so many people who have said ‘You really need to understand what this means to our kids,’” Snodgrass said during the interview. “I’m a parent. I was a coach. I grew up every day as a player and a coach wanting to play high school sports and get to the state tournament. So I do think I understand that. I also have to go with the fact that my number one concern that I have, over everything, is the health and safety of everyone involved. It’s not just our student-athletes. It’s the parents, coaches, umpires, officials, the scorekeepers. All those things enter into this. It’s a tough decision and it’s one that I and all the other Executive Directors of the other states never thought we would have to do. Never did I think this would be the case, but I’ve tried to be as prepared as I could every step of the way.”
Snodgrass also addressed the summer and start of fall sports in the interview.
“July is a very physical month for our student-athletes entering fall sports, so we have already started looking at, if this continues through the summer, we’ll have the potential of having a lot of kids who haven’t had the physical activity that they would normally have going into a fall season. So for the health and safety of everyone, we have to look at the acclimation periods going into the fall, if that happens. We have to be prepared for that. We’re also talking about that, if this does go through the summer, what is the likelihood that a student can get in to get a physical (annual medical exam). We have a sport medicine advisory group that is looking at that. They are looking at all aspects such as whether artificial surfaces need to be treated. We are relying on the advice of experts in our decision making.
The OHSAA will continue to communicate throughout the spring and summer regarding any adjustments to OHSAA off-season regulations, academic eligibility standards, sports medicine updates and more.
