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Off to the races: High school sports has started

By Tom King - Sports Writer | Sep 19, 2020

Happy High School Sports, everyone.

Yes, it has started. There were a few Division II and III games slated for this past Friday and the weekend.

Area school golf teams – one of the safest sports – have already hit the links and are full steam ahead.

And Monday, Division I teams in all the other sports begin their seasons. It’s already North-South week, with volleyball, field hockey, and boys and girls soccer. Of course, football this Friday night.

It starts with North-South field hockey at 5p.m. Monday at Stellos Stadium, and later just down Riverside Drive girls volleyball on Monday night at 6:30 at Nashua South, which returns after a historic unbeaten state title season.

Tuesday it’s golf at Green Meadow at 4, girls soccer at Stellos at 7.

And, in this pandemic abbreviated season, it’s play it again – a North-South field hockey rematch at 3:30 and girls volleyball, this time at North, at 6:30.

On Thursday, boys soccer gets into the act at Stellos at 5 p.m. The soccer rematches are next Saturday at Stellos at 10 a.m. (girls) and 2 p.m. (boys), and the cross country rematch is at 10 a.m. at Mines Falls.

Now remember, the first meetings are South’s home events – football included – and only South fans can attend. The rematches are North home events, and unfortunately for football fans, there is no rematch unless the fans meet in the playoffs. No Turkey Eve bowl this year, as has been reported, as it makes no sense with the fan restrictions.

Here’s a hint for fans: check with your schools on the spectator restrictions. But generally speaking, if you haven’t gotten some type of a ticket or pass from the student athlete you are going to see, you won’t get in. And if you’re from the visiting team, more than likely you won’t get in, especially if you’re a fan of a Division I team – Nashua North, South, Merrimack, Bishop Guertin and Alvirne.

Division I schools are mainly going with four tickets for family members of student athletes and no visiting fans. Again, masks worn at all times.

Division II looks like they cut the number of spectators per participant down as a tradeoff to allow visiting fans. It’s two fans per participant, both home and away at Milford, for example. Masks worn at all times.

Schools all over are getting the word out, but it’s best to check with the school or the web site. For example, deviating from other Division I teams, Dover is not allowing fans at any of their home events – zip, zero, period.

Are all these restrictions difficult? Sure. Safe? You bet. As Nashua athletic director Lisa Gingras said, “People may not like it, and we understand, but what’s the alternative? What we had last spring. Which is nothing.”

Exactly. It’s a quote you will see over and over again, because it’s a great reminder of everything sports is going through. We had a great summer with baseball, golf, heck, even a girls high school hockey All-Star game.

Now we begin what everyone has been waiting for. It hasn’t been easy. School districts all had to make up their own minds. Some originally went with cross country and golf, but then the other sports were added in. For cross country, though, the big multi school meets, like the Manchester Invitational, have been cancelled. Keep to the wise moves by athletic directors to keep the competition between a grouping of four or five close by schools. It was a great idea that the athletic directors in each division are abiding by.

Of course, if there’s any perceived risk of exposure or a positive test, a team will have to likely be shut down for two weeks. Lately Windham, after an outbreak at the school related to an non-school related gathering, was still in shutdown mode as far as sports are concerned after a day or two of practices.

Those are all the precautions that must be made.

The NHIAA did a great job of minimizing the importance of the regular season, with open tournaments. That’s fine, because all the coaches and student athletes wanted was to be able to compete in some way, shape or form.

“It’s great that these kids get something,” one observer at a recent practice said.

So let’s go. Time to play, play safely, and see how things go.

Welcome back, high school sports. You’ve been missed.

Tom King may be reached at tking@nashuatelegraph.com, or on twitter at @Telegraph _TomK.

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