Fall high school sports pushed to spring season

By Anna Jauhola
Although school is scheduled to open as usual this year – with modifications – the fall sports season will be much different.
On Tuesday, Aug. 4, the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) announced the decision to push football and volleyball to a spring schedule. These are the only two sports the Kittson County Central Bearcats cooperative offers in the fall.
While it’s a disappointing move, school officials are not surprised.
According to an MSHSL news release, the league approved moving football and volleyball seasons to span March, April and May. The decision was based on several factors, including Gov. Tim Walz’s executive order for districts returning to school, guidance from Minnesota’s departments of health and education, feedback from MSHSL advisory physicians and MSHSL’s Return to Participation Task Force guidance.
The MSHSL release states specifics for other sports allowed to play this fall, including girls tennis, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls soccer and girls swimming and diving.
However, specifics on the football and volleyball seasons are yet to be determined, stating the league wants “minimal overlap of seasons.”
Kittson Central Superintendent Bob Jaszczak sent a message last week regarding the fall sports situation, simply stating it was moved and there are many yet-to-be-determined details.
In a Facebook post, Lancaster Superintendent Shannon Hunstad also alerted his district to the change in fall sports. He also mentioned there could be practices scheduled for both football and volleyball, but those are not decided yet.