Sports back on schedule

With the Feb. 24 approval of spring sports being played by the Clark County School District, Boulder City High School is taking necessary steps to ensure its athletes can get back on the field safely.

The school has partnered with Boulder City Fire Department to provide mandatory COVID-19 tests for all athletes, coaches and team managers before resuming practice March 22 and play April 16 after a nearly 13-month layoff. A testing station will be set up at the fire station between 8 a.m. and noon Tuesday and Wednesday, March 16 and 17.

The school is following Nevada Interscholastic Athletic Association guidelines that call for all participants to be tested for COVID-19 before reporting for team activities.

Once athletes, coaches and team managers receive results of their tests, which should take 15 minutes, they will need to take a picture of the results that includes their name, and email it to Athletic Director Alex Moore or Assistant Principal Daphne Brownson.

Moore added that anyone who wants to participate in spring athletics but misses the testing window provided by the fire department may go elsewhere for testing but the same procedures need to be followed.

“We’re very thankful for the fire department for setting this up and helping all our athletes get tested in a timely manner,” he said. “We want to stress the importance of getting COVID testing done early so all our athletes, coaches and managers can get back on the field for the start of day one and that all procedures are followed properly and the staff at Boulder City High School has everyone’s negative tests on file.”

The testing also brought new developments for fall intramurals sports after the season was officially canceled by CCSD.

As directed by the school district, intramural fall athletics will be treated like spring practices with no competition taking place. Football will be the first fall sport back on the field, starting April 5, followed by cross-country, soccer, girls golf, girls volleyball and tennis on May 3.

All sports will be allowed as many as 20 days of practice time leading to a one-hour intrasquad competition.

“We’re very excited to get back out on the field,” football coach Chris Morelli said. “We all wish it was for actual games and that a season could be played, but we’re thankful that CCSD is at least allowing us to be with our players in some capacity. It’s going to be very hard to schedule practices given the time slot to do so is during spring sports, but the staff and I are confident we’ll be able to get the team together as much as possible and work on our noncontact drills.”

Any Eagle athlete wishing to participate in spring or fall athletics must register at www.registermyathlete.com for eligibility, medical and emergency contact record.

Incoming freshmen and new athletes to CCSD must also complete an athletic physical prior to joining a sports program, while all other athletes who have done a physical the year prior don’t have to, the coaches said.

Contact Robert Vendettoli at BCRsports@gmail.com.