State championship venues and spring football practice were two items on the agenda when the South Carolina High School League executive committee met on February 10.
SCHSL commissioner Jerome Singleton said the venues for the state basketball championship games in March have not yet been secured.
“We are struggling to find a location for the state championships,” said Singleton.
Singleton said several options are being considered, including using secondary schools in neutral locations. He said that USC Aiken is also being seen as a local. The SCHSL executive committee granted permission to the league to pursue all options. The proposed end date for the basketball season is March 6, to avoid imposing in the spring sports season. The championship games are provisionally scheduled for March 4th to 6th.
The other important topic of the meeting was the league’s proposal not to allow “hunting season” training for autumn sports teams, as was the case last spring, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Public bidding traditionally allows football and volleyball teams to hold spring training in May.
The league proposed June 1 as a date for all sports, although football was banned from wearing protectors. The normal practice of spring in May includes 10 days on cushions.
Executive committee members spoke out against the league’s initial plan.
“If we’re talking about moving forward with the next school year, that process starts in the spring,” said member Carlos Cave, athletic director at Battery Creek High School. “Are we also saying that we will deny winter and spring its open seasons next year? Otherwise, we must allow the drop to occur with the expectation that we are trying to return to some normality. “
Representatives from each of the state’s five athletic classifications supported the return to the normal calendar. The vote was 15-0 in favor of returning to the autumn sports hunting season. The qualifiers for cheerleaders would continue in late April.
“I really wasn’t aware of the full proposal until I read it online yesterday,” said Hanahan football coach Art Craig. “It looks like the championship would have given coaches a new feeling. But, I think it’s a good thing that they voted. I’ll get what I can. “
School districts still have the last word on when teams can practice. This was the case during the basketball season, when districts ended the season for several periods, some for up to seven weeks, while others continued to play until January.
Northwood Houston hits milestone
Northwood Academy senior guard, Caleb Houston, scored the 1500th point of his high school career in the 80-66 victory over Hammond School on February 9. Houston scored 19 points in the win.
Houston, a four-year varsity holder in Northwood, became only the second player in the school’s history to reach 1,500 points. Houston has also been a member of the TMP travel program for three years.