Wildkits Return To Play With New IHSA Calendar

Friday Night Lights --- in March?

Members of the boys soccer team suiting up to run cross country?

Swim meets with no relay races?

That’s the scenario set up by the Illinois High School Association Wednesday as high schools across the state, including Evanston Township, were given the OK to proceed with sports activities beginning with the first practice sessions set for August 10th.

The IHSA decision was affirmed by District 202, with the added caveat that pods of players consisting of no more than 25 individuals be allowed to practice together at the same time. The IHSA drastically altered the calendar --- creating 4 “seasons” where previously there were 3 -- while shifting football, boys soccer and girls volleyball to the “spring” season set to run from February 15 to May 1. The ETHS field hockey team will also compete during that part of the school year.

The IHSA calendar now features boys and girls golf, girls tennis, boys and girls cross country and girls swimming and diving from August 10 to October 24th’; Boys and girls basketball, wrestling, boys swimming and diving, cheerleading, dance, girls gymnastics, and boys and girls bowling from November 16 to February 13.

The spring season (Feb. 15 to May 1) includes football, boys soccer, girls volleyball, girls badminton, boys gymnastics, field hockey and boys and girls water polo. The summer season, which will run from May 3 to June 26 and will extend well beyond the end of school, features baseball, softball, boys and girls track and field, girls soccer, boys volleyball, boys tennis and boys and girls lacrosse.

The decision by the state organization to reopen athletic competition, even with many schools opting to at least start the school year with remote learning instead of in-person attendance, came in the wake of the complete cancellation of the 2020 spring season due to the spread of the coronavirus.

Postseason competition is still up in the air and will be decided on a sport by sport basis, according to IHSA executive director Craig Anderson. It’s not likely that the state basketball tournament will be held in Champaign this winter, and the shortened seasons for every sport could preclude any “extra” games after the truncated regular season.

The IHSA followed guidelines established by Governor J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Health to implement safe protocols instead of taking the easier path and simply canceling the fall sports season, too.

“This plan, like nearly every aspect of our current lives, remains fluid,” Anderson warned. “Changes may come, and if they do, we will be agile while putting safety and students first. It was important that we provide a framework for our student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and officials to begin preparing for the 2020-21 school year.

“I applaud our Board of Directors for choosing a model that allows every student-athlete the opportunity for a modified season.”

“We appreciate the thought and care that went into the IHSA decision to structure sports for this school year,” said Evanston Athletic Director Chris Livatino. “This was no easy task, and it is impossible to please everyone. We haven’t had the opportunity to compete since last March, and it’s so exciting to know that our kids will be back in action wearing the Orange and Blue.”

Livatino and assistant AD Mike Burzawa will have to adjust schedules for 32 different sports on all levels, with multi-team invitationals and tournaments no longer feasible. Livatino said Thursday that conference matchups will likely have a priority when it comes to scheduling, especially with postseason scenarios still to be decided over the coming weeks and months.

Peaking for the postseason might not be on the table this year and it’s possible that no state champions will be crowned in any season.

“Even if there are no state tournaments, you’ll still have something to play for,” Livatino pointed out. “And when you play in a conference as tough as the Central Suburban League and win a championship there, you’re probably one of the top 10 teams in the state then --- in any sport!”

Burzawa, the long-time head football coach for the Wildkits, admitted that the uncertainty of whether or not there’d even be a season cost him more than a few nights’ sleep. So the move to a February start (for preseason practice) certainly beat the alternative, in his mind.

“Last spring was so difficult for everyone , and when they put in limited contact for us during the summer, we didn’t know what would happen,” Burzawa said. “We didn’t know if they’d postpone things for 30 days for us or make a decision not to have a season at all.

“I think trying to get as many competitions in after the first of the year made the most sense and it really gives everyone something to look forward to now. They (IHSA) did the best they could do. We had to find some fluid solutions and I think we did.”

Burzawa noted that Evanston’s summer camp this year featured more strength and conditioning work for that 3 week span, with no actual physical contact permitted. “Not being able to block and tackle the way you normally would, it’s been a challenge to keep the kids interested and excited,” he said. “But we’re all obviously excited to still have a season.”

The football schedule, like the other sports, is still a work in progress but could include 5 games against South division opponents and a couple of crossovers against North division foes.

Like Burzawa, soccer head coach Franz Calixte isn’t sure what the weather will bring for his sport’s games and might take a different approach to conditioning, too.

“You really need to play during the summer leagues and club season to get in 80-minute soccer condition,” he said, “and that will be difficult now. I’m hoping to push a whole lot of our soccer players to run cross country in the fall now. That will help both programs.

“This (season shift) is better than nothing. Maybe we’ll be lucky and have very low snow totals this year. I don’t know what things will look like playing in March.”

Calixte said he doesn’t think soccer is such a high risk of spreading a pandemic even though it is listed as a “medium” risk sport on a scale of lower, medium and higher.

“For one thing, the goalies wear gloves, and we can change throw-ins to kick-ins,” he explained. “Maybe we can eliminate corner kicks, too. Right now all of the soccer leagues in Spain and Germany and England and Italy are going strong, and I haven’t read about any more outbreaks there.

“And as far as the state tournament goes, maybe there’s a way to extend the playoffs (Final Four) to that ‘second’ spring because there won’t be as many teams still playing and all of the lower levels will be done. I just hope the people involved in making that decision are soccer people.”

Wildkit girls volleyball coach Liz Brieva sees the glass as half full despite the element of the unknown surrounding the upcoming school year.

“My positive spin is that we want to use this time to work on the society and justice issues facing our community,” she said. “We want to work with parents and players in the program to foster stronger relationships and provide more opportunities for athletes of color to play volleyball. We want to do everything we can to make our sport more inclusive.”

The ETHS coaching staff opted not to try to host summer camp indoors and instead conducted summer drills outside at Lazier Field.

“We stayed away from blocking and true net play, but I still thought it was productive,” Brieva noted. “My concern is that they didn’t get a lot of touches and you need that in our sport. Some of our girls who play on clubs did go to those camps, but it always comes back to access, and at this point we don’t have the opportunities for many of our girls who are interested in playing in the off-season. That’s a priority for me, to tap into getting the kids in the neighborhood the opportunity to play.”