A vote by the PIAA on Friday to proceed with fall sports cleared the way for athletes across Pennsylvania to prepare for a return to competition.

The board voted 25-5 to begin the season on Monday, Aug. 24, based on local school decisions.

“I am happy the kids are getting back to sports,” said Panther Valley Athletic Director Kristin Black. “But everybody needs to be cautious and safe about the things that they are doing. My coaches have been amazing. They are following all policies and procedures and guidelines set forth by the governor, the PIAA and Panther Valley.

“The kids needed to come back, just with reference to their mental state and things that are going on in society today. It’s just going to be very hard to try and set everything up and make sure everything goes as planned, but it will happen.”

The news came after the PIAA announced earlier this month that it was delaying the start of the season for two weeks. That announcement came after the suggestion of Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf, who recommended that no youth sports be played until January of 2021, a decision that also includes all PIAA sponsored high school sports this fall.

“The Board agrees the decision to compete in athletics should be made locally allowing for each school entity to decide whether to proceed and which sports to sponsor,” the statement read. “As the health and safety of students is paramount in moving forward with athletics, the Board believes that through each member schools’ adherence to their developed school health and safety plans the PIAA Return to Competition guidelines sports can continue.”

Schools have worked to install health and safety plans to begin workouts during the summer in preparation for fall sports, something they know will now continue.

“During conversations with our athletes and coaches we all have remained cautiously optimistic for what our future holds,” said Palmerton Athletic Director Kyle Porembo. “Everyone has been waiting for some sort of news since July and now that we have received it, we are finally starting to plan for the next steps.”

The PIAA released a statement that it was disappointed with the decision by Wolf, and they wanted to work collaboratively with the governor, along with the Departments of Health and Education, to further discuss fall sports.

“It gives us direction,” said Northern Lehigh Athletic Director and Colonial League President Bryan Geist. “Ultimately, now we’re going to meet on Monday as ADs just to kind of figure out schedules. I don’t have anything definitive yet, but we’re going to discuss that Monday and move forward.

“Each school still has the opportunity to do what they need to do. We’re going to provide an avenue for the schools that want to start early, to start early, and then we’re going to provide an avenue for schools that want to go later, to go later.”

The first scrimmage and contest date for golf is Aug. 27, while girls tennis, cross country, volleyball, field hockey, soccer and water polo can scrimmage Aug. 29. The first scrimmage date for football is Sept. 5.

The first contest date for girls tennis is Aug. 31. The first contest date for cross country, volleyball, field hockey, soccer, football and water polo is Sept. 11.

“I think ultimately what we’re going to do is we’re just going to look at, here’s the dates, and then as schools, they need to determine what they want to do as a school moving forward,” said Geist. “We’re going to provide the avenue for dates and schedules. Again, we’re not mandating anything. We’re not saying you have to play; we’re just providing an opportunity and that’s just so teams can figure out a schedule.

“And then from that point, if schools are saying they want to change dates ... just like if we had a weather issue, we’d change dates and move things around and continue to play in that way. We’ll just play it out, and see what happens.”

The Northern Lehigh School District had already agreed to delay the start of its formal mandatory sports season.

The school board unanimously agreed to the measure until no sooner than the end of the first week of school. Superintendent Matthew J. Link said that would be Sept. 3, but because it’s a short week due to the Labor Day holiday, there’s no school Sept. 4 or Sept. 7, which would take the district to Sept. 8.

Schools must have 15 days of practice prior to their first contest, which means NL would begin competition on Sept. 25.

“For me, I just kind of have the athletics perspective, where our school district gets to see the overall aspect of what’s going on,” said Geist. “So for me, it’s more or less just, we feel, our school district makes some decisions, and we would like you to start on this date. So then I’ll just make decisions based on that.”

For Black, she is in the process of working with school administrators and the league to finalize her schedules and a plan moving foreward.

“We need a football schedule,” said Black. “I currently have a volleyball schedule and an independent cross country schedule that is completed and voted on. So we need to work on this football schedule; hopefully it’s going to be rolled out by Monday, if not before.

“But after that happens, the Schuuylkill League needs to sit down and make some guidelines with the number of players traveling, for any sport, if we’re using locker rooms, if we’re doing pre game. Things of that sort has to get hashed out first in the league or the district, and then when that stuff is taken care of, then I’m going to need to go back to my administration at Panther Valley, and say, ‘Here’s what we got. Let’s roll with it, let’s get things done, and let’s get these kids participating.”

Football must sponsor heat acclimatization for five consecutive days if starting prior to Friday, Sept. 4. Following heat acclimatization, five days of practice must be completed before a scrimmage.

Based on the practice schedule in completed five practices, a scrimmage could occur as early as Sept. 3. Five additional days of practice must occur prior to the first contest.

A contest cannot take place prior to Sept. 11. If starting on or after Sept. 4, sponsoring heat acclimatization is a local school decision to be dictated be weather conditions.

“The months, weeks, and days leading up to this decision have been certainly challenging,” said Porembo. “Our athletes and coaches have been living day to day without knowing what to expect. Today’s decision finally gave school administration, coaches, athletes, and parents a path moving forward. We still have challenges in front of us such as scheduling however I think our league president, Bryan Geist, said it best ...”just give us start and end dates and we will figure out the rest”... ultimately it comes down to doing what’s best for student athletes and their well being.”

For athletes, parents, coaches, administrators and everyone who has been waiting for what’s next, there is now some direction to move forward.

“I think people need to trust themselves, that they are going to be making the right decisions, in either sending their kids back to school, or not, and trusting the coaches and the administration, that we are making the right decisions,” said Black. “And if they do not feel comfortable, then don’t have your kid participate. All athletic directors and coaches understand that we will be missing some kids; we understand that. But we are going to roll on like we can, and the kids and parents who trust us and want us to move on with our kids, we are going to move on, and we are going to get through this together.

“People need to trust us, but we trust the parents that they are making the right decisions for their kids and keeping them home, and keeping them safe and making sure that they are doing and following all the guidelines from the governor. You have to trust a lot of people, and that’s where it begins. We can’t guarantee that you’re not going to get COVID at a sporting event because we don’t know what’s going on in the public. But for us, as Panther Valley, as a community, we are doing everything we possibly can to follow the governor’s guidelines in keeping everybody safe.”