By Justin Emerson (contact)

Thursday, July 23, 2020 | 5:50 p.m.

High school sports wont be contested in 2020 in Nevada out of coronavirus concerns. And when they do return, it will only be on an abbreviated schedule without a state tournament.

The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association released its plans for the 2020-21 school year this afternoon, moving the beginning of all sports to after the new year. The fall season was scheduled to start in the middle of next month.

Clark County School Districts decision to go all-online for the start of the school year essentially wiped out the chances of having fall sports. The new NIAA plan moves fall sports to the second semester, with football practices scheduled to begin Feb. 13 ahead of a six-game season.

I think a lot of the kids really thought we were going to have a season because it was looking like that for a while, Liberty football coach Rich Muraco said. Something is better than nothing, so well take it and hopefully well be out of distance education by the second semester so this can happen.

Winter sports will come first, with practices scheduled for Jan. 2 and the season running through Feb. 20. Non-football fall sports may begin Feb. 20 and all fall sports including football are scheduled to run until April 10. Spring sports will now begin on April 3 and go through May 22.

The NIAA said these are the dates that sports will be offered, and that participation is at schools' discretion. The plans are also tentative and are still subject to government directives.

NIAA co-assistant director Donnie Nelson said in a statement that the calendar is aligned with winter sports first to give the best opportunity for each sport to be conducted as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Nelson also said the dates were decided with as little overlap in the seasons as possible so that students can participate in multiple sports.

Original post:

Fall high school sports in Nevada are pushed to the spring - Las Vegas Sun