COVID protocols are affecting Stanislaus District sports. Here’s what we know
As the school year picks back up after the holiday break, sports have been heavily affected by the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, as games have been canceled and teams move in and out of protocols across the country.
There also has been a lot of movement among sports teams in the Stanislaus District. Here is what we know.
Gregori boys basketball is back from its pause after originally being told it would be in protocols until Jan. 15.
The Jaguars missed two games while on pause: a Jan. 5 match-up with Bullard of Fresno and a game against Lincoln of Stockton.
“We’re just trying to get a full season in, somehow, some way,” Jaguars head coach Ryan Green said on Jan. 6. “It’s not going to be easy.”
The game with Bullard was pushed to next season. But the Jaguars will play Lincoln on Jan. 29 and will start Central California Athletic League play this week instead of having to reschedule these games. Gregori travels to Pitman on Wednesday and will host Downey on Friday.
Enochs High’s boys basketball program entered protocols on Monday, according to head coach Craig Bernardi. The team is “in good spirits” as the Eagles will reschedule their two CCAL games this week.
Bernardi hopes the team will be cleared before its homecoming game on Friday, Jan. 21, against Gregori. He worries that even if they are cleared to play, the Eagles will have at most one practice before the game.
As the boys program exits protocols, the Gregori girls basketball team enters. According to the “Gregori Girls Hoops” Twitter account, the Jaguars had to postpone their games this week against Pitman and Downey. The match-up with Pitman will be rescheduled for Jan. 24 at Gregori. The Downey game is still looking for a reschedule date.
After opening Tri-City Athletic League play with a 95-66 win over West, Modesto Christian’s boys basketball team had its second league game against Tokay postponed. On Monday, Athletic Director Greg Pearce confirmed the team is “back on track.”
With just six players, the Crusaders beat Lodi 68-47 on Monday.
Coaches are working to reschedule the match-up with Tokay.
The Sac-Joaquin Section’s annual Traditional Competitive Cheer Winter Invitational was recently postponed as “too many of our registered schools had student-athletes down with illness,” per the section website.
“The number (of teams) registered heading into this week was something like 12 or 13,” said Sac-Joaquin Section Assistant Commissioner Will DeBoard. “Several of those teams had reached out and said they currently had kids who were ill, so they weren’t sure if they were going to be able to make it, so we pushed it back.”
The event, originally scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 15, will be hosted Feb. 5 at Oak Ridge High School.
A temporary solution
After sporting events around the state were canceled and rescheduled due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, the California Interscholastic Federation announced Jan. 5 the temporary suspension of Bylaw 504.M (Sundays).
The rule banned games from being played on Sundays, but the suspension of the bylaw allows for Sunday games as long as the game cancellation is a direct result of COVID-19.
“If a CIF competition is postponed directly due to documented COVID-19 cases (or the quarantine resulting from such cases), the schools involved in those competitions may mutually agree to use Sunday(s) as a possible day(s) to reschedule those competitions.” the CIF said in Tuesday’s release.
“We can’t go another year like we did last year, so if we had to play a game on Sunday and my team is OK with it, we’d definitely do it.” said Enochs coach Bernardi, whose team will be out at least a week with just one expected practice before its homecoming game.
The temporary suspension is effective as of Jan. 5, 2022, and will remain until the end of the 2022 winter sports season.
“Keeping that flexibility is going to be great to get these kids get their full schedule instead of trying to play on back-to-back days or trying to fit in four games during the league week.” said Green.
The recent surge seems to be affecting indoor sports more than those outdoors.
“We haven’t been hit as hard since we’re an outdoor sport,” Modesto High soccer coach Matt Mendes said. “But opening up Sundays, player safety-wise and just and making sure that they’re not having to dump games, completely sounds like that’s a reasonable temporary solution.”
Local colleges affected
Modesto Junior College basketball programs also have been impacted.
The men’s and women’s teams had their Jan. 11 games against Sierra College rescheduled. The women’s’ team will make up its game on Wednesday, Jan. 12, while the men’s’ team’s new date is to be determined.
The Pirates’ Jan. 18 match-up with American River College for the men’s and women’s teams has been postponed. They are working to find a date to reschedule.
Stanislaus State University also has been hit by COVID-19 protocols.
According to the Warriors athletics website, “The Stanislaus State men’s and women’s California Collegiate Athletic Association basketball doubleheaders scheduled for Thursday and Saturday against Cal State LA and Cal State San Marcos have both been canceled due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols. All four games will be ruled as a no contest and will not be rescheduled.”
The men’s team is 4-7 and 1-5 in CCAA play while the women’s team sits at 10-2 and 5-1 in conference.
Both teams are scheduled to play Cal State Monterey Bay on Thursday, Jan. 20.
This story was originally published January 12, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
