SCHSL adjusts fall sports schedule ahead of Hurricane Matthew

Chided for how it handled scheduling for athletic events following last year’s historic flood, the S.C. High School League (SCHSL) did its part Wednesday in an effort to ensure similar criticism didn’t exist in the wake of another severe weather event.

With Hurricane Matthew approaching the South Carolina coast, the state’s prep athletic governing body has revised the fall sports calendar for football, girls tennis and volleyball.

“The immediate concern is the safety of our coaches, student-athletes and their families,” said S.C. High School League commissioner Jerome Singleton. “Our primary sense of urgency is for them to be able to focus on their personal well-being and decision-making for the next few days while bracing for the predicted weather conditions.”

Planning ahead of the anticipated storm, athletic directors and coaches from a variety of sports closely monitored the storm’s expected track, along with any news from Columbia regarding any plan or precautionary measures being adopted before coming to a decision. Things were taken out of their hands on Tuesday, however, when Gov. Nikki Haley closed schools and government offices in affected areas, thereby postponing all sporting events through week’s end.

With the SCHSL’s decision, a little weight was taken off of everyone’s back, said Myrtle Beach coach Mickey Wilson.

“Last year, the decision was made quite a bit later and made things a bit more difficult for some schedule wise,” he said. “But the fact they made the decision this early, it is a good thing for everyone statewide.”

Dubbed the ‘1,000-year flood’ by Gov. Haley, approximately 24 inches of rain fell on Horry County, with other portions of the state receiving much of the same. As a result, many local teams were forced into scramble mode, doing their best to fit games washed out by Mother Nature into a span of a few days.

“Due to last year’s flood we had to play a game on Tuesday and another on Friday,” said Loris head football coach Jamie Snider. “The good thing for our kids is they know what it was like last year to have their season kind of changed due to the weather. It’s not like it is five years or eight years ago … it was last year.

“More importantly, the (SCHSL) got it right this year. It’s the safest way possible … it may not be perfect, but it is the fairest way they could have drawn it up.”

An 11th week will be added to the 2016 football calendar, just as it was last season. Teams whose games were postponed this Friday may use the week of Oct. 31-Nov. 4 to reschedule those contests.

Football programs — primarily in the Piedmont and Upstate — taking the field this week will receive a bye week. The revision also pushes the start of the state playoffs and inevitably football state title games back a week, putting them again in conflict with the annual Touchstone Energy Cooperatives North-South Bowl at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium.

Forced to play alongside the games last year, game coordinator and Westside High football coach Scott Earley said the all-star event will go on as scheduled.

Eighty-eight players will be chosen for the game, with alternates being selected for both the North and South squads, due to the expectation that several players playing in state title games will not be available.

“It looks like Mother Nature has decided things for us once again,” he said. “You hate to be missing some guys that are worthy of being part of this event. But someone who is worthy of all-star consideration whose team did not make a state championship game will get a chance to take part again this year.”

Girls tennis and volleyball teams also will have a little leeway, given until Oct. 18 to finish regular season play. The playoffs will begin for each sport Oct. 20.

Among the sports not affected by the change include girls golf, competitive cheer and cross country.

This story was originally published October 5, 2016 at 4:42 PM with the headline "SCHSL adjusts fall sports schedule ahead of Hurricane Matthew."