Prep Sports

IHSA to vote on winter sports plan Oct. 28

IHSA board also heard a proposal to postpone wrestling

The IHSA board of directors will meet Oct. 28 to determine the plan for winter sports for the 2020-21 school year and to announce more details on a plan moving forward.

When the IHSA first reconfigured the sports schedule because of COVID-19 restrictions, moving football, volleyball and boys soccer to the spring, it also set a date of Nov. 16 as the first day of practice for winter sports.

IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said in a statement that the IHSA was giving the Illinois Department of Public Health a chance to review the IHSA plan, and the board will hold a meeting to vote on the plan once they have that input.

"We feel like we are making positive strides in our discussion with the Illinois Department of Public Health to be allowed to conduct IHSA winter sports as scheduled," Anderson said in the statement. "We believe we have a plan to do so safely and want to provide IDPH ample time to review the winter sports plans, and supportive data, we have provided them."

The board also granted athletes in what will be spring and summer sports in 2021 (football, boys soccer, girls volleyball, baseball, softball, track, girls soccer, boys volleyball, boys tennis and lacrosse) the right to play for both a school team and a nonschool team at the same time for the 2021 season.

The board also heard a proposal to postpone the wrestling season. It plans to take up that issue at the Oct. 28 meeting as well.