By Matt Allibone
College conferences around the country are suspending or canceling fall sports, but the PIAA is sticking with the status quo and planning to move ahead with fall athletics as scheduled.
That could change over the next month depending on state government restrictions as the coronavirus pandemic develops.
A major development on the topic was not expected at Wednesday’s PIAA Board of Directors meeting, and the topic was rarely discussed during the two-plus hour virtual Zoom session. However, executive director Robert Lombardi took questions from the media on the situation afterward.
His main point was that the organization is planning on fall sports while acknowledging the situation remains fluid.
“We are trying to hold serve and stay the course based on any information we receive,” Lombardi said at the end of the meeting. “Right now it’s status quo.”
Right now, football heat acclimatization is scheduled for Aug. 10 and the first day of fall practice is scheduled for Aug. 17. Contests are scheduled to begin shortly after that with football kicking off Aug. 28.
The PIAA is scheduled to meet again July 29, but Lombardi said the organization doesn’t have a “drop dead” date for when it would have to cancel or suspend fall sports.
