MONROE — The Southwest Wisconsin Activities League met at the end of last week and a clearer picture of plans for all schools across all sports was made. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, much of the state has opted to move some or all fall sports to an alternative spring window that the WIAA is allowing for one year only, but several area schools are continuing on as scheduled.
Darlington has opted to compete in all fall sports, which includes football, cross country, volleyball and girls golf. Joining the Redbirds on the cross country course this fall will be Albany and Pecatonica-Argyle. Both schools run in the SWAL and opted to continue with a fall sports season.
Southwestern, which resides in the SWAL in most sports, moved its football season to the spring with the rest of the Six Rivers Conference. Southwestern is also moving its volleyball season to the spring.
“We already know that several other SWAL and area schools have made that same, final decision, so I am confident that we will be able to build a full schedule for the spring,” said Thomas Koeller of Southwestern.
A September Southwestern board meeting will have an agenda item to take action on allowing open gyms and usage of school facilities, according to Koeller.
Belmont is planning to compete in all of its fall sports, including as an 8-man football team. The Braves run cross country in the Scenic Bluffs/Ridge and Valley Conference, and plays volleyball in the Six Rivers. Earlier last week, the Six Rivers Conference opted to hold its full conference volleyball schedule in the fall and move football to the spring. That change allowed for Black Hawk-Warren and Shullsburg-Benton-Scales Mound football to honor its current Wisconsin/Illinois cooperatives.
At Shullsburg’s school board meeting Aug. 19, discussion points included allowing spectators to contests, but information and guidance from the health department and grounds committees still needed to be processed.
Back on July 25, the WIAA grouped fall sports into “high risk” and “low risk” categories, in reference to the possible spread of the COVID-19 virus. Football and volleyball were deemed “high risk” and the first day of practice was pushed to Sept. 7, Labor Day. Cross country and girls golf are “low risk” sports, and practices could begin Aug. 17, however Darlington waited a week to verify holding a fall season.
Conference commissioners and schools now have to figure out any changes that need to be done to each team’s schedule. The Darlington Invitational has already been pushed back a week to Sept. 12. The River Valley, Marshall and Midwest Invitationals have all been canceled.
“The conference voted to not have a conference meet, so instead we are going to determine a conference champion by running dual and triangular meets within the conference schools,” said Arnie Miehe, Darlington’s cross country coach. “There is no conference schedule right now, but we should have one within a week.”
In girls golf, the Redbirds’ first match is scheduled for Aug. 28 at Darlington Country Club. The team again hits the links three days later at Prairie du Chien.
The Six Rivers volleyball schedule has competitions beginning Sept. 15 with three local games taking place. Matches are scheduled for every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday for five weeks.
The alternate fall season is scheduled to be held from early March through April in 2021, with the latest season ending the first week of May. The WIAA made the decision on dates in an Aug. 14 Board of Control meeting. There are some overlapping dates between winter and sports and alternate fall sports in the WIAA’s allotment for the seasons, as well as the alternate fall and spring seasons. However, schools and conferences can adjust schedules to minimize crossover.
— A.J. Gates and Thomas Gunnell contributed reporting.
