Hello Tahanto,
Spring sports will be on us before we know it. The Spring athletic season starts Monday, April 26, the day after April vacation. Middle School sports will start the following Monday, May 3rd. At the time of this writing, the protocols for Spring sports were not quite official. I will post them on the athletic website as soon as they are ready. They will be very similar to the Fall and Winter.
Varsity and JV sports will be right after school on campus. However, Girls lacrosse will practice at the Berlin fields and also later in the afternoon at Tahanto on some occasions. Boys lacrosse will have the opportunity to Co-Op with Hudson. They will report to Hudson right after school. Boys will also have the opportunity to Co-Op with West Boylston tennis, those times are TBD.
We are happy to announce that we will be able to offer some middle school sports. Since we have space, the Middle School track team will be able to practice right after school. We will also have Middle School baseball. However, due to field restrictions, MS baseball will start between 4:30 and 5:00. They will not be able to stay on campus. They will have to leave and come back. I know this may cause some complications, however, it was the best we could do. Many schools didn’t offer middle school sports, but we wanted to try and give the opportunity.
The regular season for Varsity and JV starts Thursday, May 6th. It will run through June 3rd. Middle school sports' games will start a week later and will continue through the last full week of school.
A “sectional” tournament for varsity sports will run from June 7th through, approximately, June 16th. If schools choose to enter the state tournament, that will start, June 17th and run through the beginning of July. Every school is eligible for the state tournament if they so choose to enter. Varsity and JV athletes will be expected to make larger commitments this year. Weekends and holidays could be requirements. Seniors will have quite a few games left once they have completed school. Teams entering the state tournament will, essentially, have all of their athletes having had completed the academic school year. Student-athletes will need to communicate with their respective coaches if they will be available. Central MA and the State voted to have a “sectional” and state tournament. If athletes are unable to make these commitments, we may not be able to opt into certain tournaments. Once again, EVERYONE is eligible for the “sectional” and state tournaments. However, we are given the choice to opt-in. PLEASE communicate with your coaches on your commitment and eligibility.
Every year has its challenges. This year has been like no other. However, being part of the Midland Wachusett Conference, unlike many schools, we were able to offer sports in every season. Granted there were bumps and many restrictions, however, our student-athletes prevailed. Spring will have a new set of challenges, and we are doing our best to give our players the chance to get out on the fields and compete with some sense of normalcy. Having the opportunity of a “sectional” and state tournament for our Spring competitors, after canceling the previous season, will be exciting!
So, let the athletes play, the coaches, coach, and the spectators cheer. Let’s get started! The Stags hope to see on the playing fields cheering on our student-athletes.
GO STAGS,
Matt Porcaro