NCS gives green light to start high school sports - Sonoma West

NBL cross country, boys tennis and girls golf teams begin official practices

Some Sonoma County high school athletes cleared a final hurdle on Friday when the North Coast Section Board of Managers gave its final approval on a schedule for certain sports to begin their seasons.

The plan calls for North Bay League schools to start official practices for purple tier sports; cross country, girls golf and boys tennis as of Feb. 1, with meets and matches to start in March. Other purple tier sports such as swimming, track & field, girl tennis and boys golf are slated to start practicing in March and April.

Should Sonoma County move to a less restrictive red tier, high school baseball, girls softball and girls lacrosse will also be allowed to start their seasons later this spring.

Orange tier sports such as football, soccer, volleyball and boys lacrosse seem much less likely to salvage any type of season at this point, while athletes in yellow tier sports such as basketball and wrestling have little chance to compete this spring.

Although the news was mostly positive for those involved, the provisions laid out on Friday are all subject to the ongoing approval of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) — a stark reminder of the ever changing conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Executive Committee understands and expects that counties will fluctuate between (tier) colors, at times moving backwards,” the NCS stated in an addendum sent to schools in the section. “When a league’s season of sport has officially started and a county regresses to a more restrictive tier, the school would adhere to CDPH guidance.”

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