EASTHAM — The arrival of the long-awaited high school football season, now one of the state’s “Fall II” sports, has been delayed a week as the Nauset Regional High team was forced to quarantine after a player tested positive for Covid-19 last week.
The Warriors were scheduled to play their first game against the Barnstable Raiders on Saturday, March 20, but that game has been postponed. Nauset Athletic Director John Mattson said the team is planning to return to practice on Monday, March 22 and play its first game against the Falmouth Clippers on Saturday, March 27, barring any further setbacks.
The Mass. Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) voted in late January on its regulations for the Fall II season. Student athletes and coaches who are diagnosed with Covid-19 should rest and avoid exercise for 10 days from the onset of symptoms, according to the regulations.
“Procedures for return to activity/play should follow CDC, DPH, and local board of health guidelines,” according to the MIAA. “In addition, persons with Covid-19 infection need to receive written clearance from their health care provider and school administrator/designee to return to sport. Return to activity should be slow and graded.”
Meanwhile, the girls volleyball team hosted its first match of the season on March 11 against the Sandwich Blue Knights. The Warriors lost that contest 3-2, then lost 3-0 in their second game on March 12 to the Barnstable Raiders. The team’s next game will be Thursday, March 18 against the Falmouth Clippers.
Girls and boys indoor track is scheduled for its first meet on March 30.
The MIAA is currently scheduling the spring sports season that will begin in May. Spring sports at Nauset include baseball, softball, girls golf, boys and girls lacrosse, boys and girls tennis, and boys and girls outdoor track and field.
Spring sports teams may be the only ones this school year to play in a state tournament. On March 12, the MIAA board of directors approved a postseason sectional tournament for the 2021 spring season, pending the results of a survey of member-school principals asking whether they would be interested in having a state tournament.
The board was scheduled to reconvene on Wednesday after receiving survey results.
Warriors Watch
Thursday, March 18
Girls volleyball: The Warriors play an away game against the Falmouth Clippers at 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 23
Girls volleyball: The Dennis-Yarmouth Dolphins travel to Eastham to play the Warriors at 5:30 p.m.
