MVL eliminates non-league contests

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XENIA — The Miami Valley League joined the Greater Western Ohio Conference in announcing there would be no non-league sports contests in the fall.

”Given that the current COVID-19 pandemic is going to be with us for the foreseeable future, it was decided that it is in our collective best interest to compete among MVL schools only during the regular season,” the league announced on its website. “This decision will allow membership to implement protocols and guidelines for all member schools to follow and allow for a more controlled environment for the student athletes to safely return to competition. Decisions like this are never easy but this gives our students the best opportunity to have a season, given the mandates that must be met and the uncharacteristic times we face.”

Members of the league include Butler, Fairborn, Greenville, Piqua, Sidney, Stebbins, Tippecanoe, Troy, West Carrollton, and Xenia.

The MVL athletic directors will begin to build a schedule for all fall sports in the coming days that will give each team a full schedule to begin the season, Xenia Athletics Director Nathan Kopp posted on Twitter.

“The goal is to give our student-athletes the opportunities to compete this fall,” he said.

The first game was announced early Monday evening on the Fairborn athletics Twitter page: Xenia will host the Skyhawks Friday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m.

Practices for all fall sports began Aug. 1. Non-contact sports of girls tennis, golf, and volleyball have been cleared by state officials to compete against other schools. Cross country, field hockey, football, and soccer have not been given the OK to begin regular season play. The Ohio High School Athletic Association is working with state officials to have field hockey and/or cross country placed into the low/non-contact category, according to a release.

The OHSAA also said if contact sports are not approved for school versus school competition by Friday, Sept. 4, fall contact sports and remaining winter and spring sports will move to a condensed schedule that will take place between mid-December and the end of June. Fall non-contact sports would move forward as scheduled.

On Aug. 1 the Ohio Department of Health released an order with specific guidelines for sports to follow to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

By Scott Halasz

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Contact Scott Halasz at 937-502-4507.

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