Page 9 - Mid Valley Times 7-16-20 E-edition

Thursday, July 16, 2020
State's community colleges move all fall sports to spring season
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
Less than two weeks after the Central Valley Conference took similar action, the Califor- nia Community College Ath- letic Association announced that all fall sports for 2020 — including football — will be shifted to the spring season in January 2021 because of the ongoing Coronavirus pan- demic.
The association announced on July 9 in Sacramento that its board of directors overwhelm- ingly approved implementa- tion of its contingency plan; meaning all fall sports will be moved to the spring semester. Those sports — football, men’s
and women’s cross country, women’s golf, women’s vol- leyball, water polo and wres- tling — will join basketball and soccer as winter competition. Practices will begin in mid-Jan- uary with competition starting up in February. Spring sports — including badminton, base- ball, beach volleyball, men’s golf, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field and men’s volleyball — will start practice and late March and compete in a condensed season starting April 10.
“I know I speak for the en- tire CCCAA board that moving fall athletics to Spring 2021 is a huge disappointment,” Dr. Erika Endrijonas, board chair and president of Pasadena City
College, said in a July 9 news release. “However, the need to keep our student-athletes and the amazing coaches and ath- letic trainers who work with them safe was simply the only option available with the virus spiraling out of control across the state.”
All sports will have a 30 percent reduction in the maxi- mum number of contests or competition dates that they are currently permitted and will also have regional postseason competition. Formats for the postseason will be announced at a later date, but the CCCAA will not have state champion- ships in 2020-21.
It was hoped that the state’s junior colleges — including
Reedley College — would be able to compete in the CCCAA’s conventional plan, which would have kept all sports except men’s and women’s basket- ball in their traditional places on the calendar. But that plan was reliant on California be- ing in Phase 4 of its reopening by mid-July, and hopes were dashed with a continued in- crease in positive COVID-19 cases around the state. The board went ahead with its implementation of the contin- gency plan ahead of a Friday, July 17, decision date.
Jennifer Cardone, CCCAA interim executive director, said the association had hoped to proceed as normal, but with the state’s reopening process
stalled it became obvious that the fall sports season was lost. “The health and safety of
our student-athletes, coaches and staffs are our top priori- ties,” she added. “While the Contingency Plan has the most drastic changes, it’s also the one that provides us the best opportunity to return to com- petition.”
The CCCAA has 110 mem- ber colleges – including State Center Community College District Schools Reedley Col- lege, Fresno City College and Clovis Community College in the Central Valley Confer- ence. About 24,000 community college student-athletes in the state are affected by the deci- sion.
Fall sports athletes work out as season status uncertain
Jon Earnest / Mid Valley Times
Reedley High School varsity football coach Tony Gates looks on while Joey Ramos runs sprints during condition- ing drills on July 7 at Sal Gonzalez Field.
Players worked on building their endurance and stamina during the session, as high school athletes and coaches await the status on a fall sports season because of CO- VID-19. The California Interscholastic Federation will de- cide on Monday, July 20, whether the season will begin as scheduled, reduced in score and delayed until later in the fall, or postponed entirely until the start of 2021.
Velarde helps Pittsburgh win USL opener
Reedley High product scores insurance goal in 3-1 win
MVT Staff Report
Reedley High product Anthony Velarde is one of the few professional ath- letes with an opportunity to compete during the COVID-19 situation this summer, and the soccer star made the most of his opportunities in his club’s season opener on July 12.
Velarde, a second-yard midfielder with the Pitts- burgh Riverhounds of the United Soccer League, scored an insurance goal in the 51st minute as his team rallied from a goal down to post a 3-1 road victory over Louisville City FC in the first ever game at LouCity’s Lynn Family Stadium. Fans in attendance practiced social distancing in the match.
Pittsburgh yielded the first goal of the match, but had tied the score by halftime with a goal in the final minute of play. The Riverhounds then seized control with two goals in a six-minute span against
Pittsburgh Riverhounds / Photo Contributed
Reedley High product Anthony Velarde scored a goal for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds FC during a 3-1 victory over Louisville City FC on July 12 in their opening match of the United Soccer League season.
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Velarde — who set scoring records during his prep career for Reed- ley High and then earned All-American status at Fresno Pacific Univer- sity before being drafted by the Riverhounds — took a pass from team- mate Ropapa Mensah
and drilled in a left-footed shot into the high center of the goal. The River- hounds then stymied Lou- City with tight defense in the final 40 minutes, including 10 minutes of stoppage time.
Pittsburgh will re- turn to action Saturday, July 18, in a home match against Philadelphia Union II.
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