FRANKLIN — With all the snow this past winter and the prospect of the high school spring sports starting later than normal due to the severe winter weather, the MIAA Tournament Management Committee voted to extend the spring cutoff dates for tournament qualification by a week for most of the spring sports.
The Tournament Management committee voted unanimously on Tuesday, March 17 to extend the deadlines.
The deadlines for lacrosse, tennis, baseball, softball, volleyball and golf were all extended by a week, while track was extended just three days from May 25 to May 28. Track was less flexible due to the postseason meet schedule.
The cutoff dates are as follows: Team tennis (June 1), individual tennis (May 11), boys’ lacrosse (May 28), girls’ lacrosse (May 28), baseball (May 31), softball (May 31), volleyball (May 25), track (May 28 at midnight) and golf (May 28). Tournament seeding will take place the following day for each sport after the cutoff date.
The cutoff dates have been pushed back before. This winter season, the cutoff date was moved back a day, after the many snowstorms that hit the area in late January and February. But this is the first time the MIAA has moved the cutoff dates back by a week.
Bill Gaines, executive director of the MIAA, called the situation “absolutely unprecedented” in a story that appeared in the Boston Globe last week.
Gaines said the spring season started on March 16 and he believes that there may have been a handful of the 376 membership schools that could use a field. He felt it was clear the MIAA had to look at the options.
Even though the cutoff dates have been extended, the spring tournaments are still scheduled to wrap up June 13 this year. There are some athletic directors that would like to see that date moved back, too.
While Gaines said he is still committed to the June 13 as the final tournament date, Richard Pearson, associate director of the Tournament Management Committee, thinks that date might need to be moved, too.
Pearson said the final date has not been etched in stone but a decision on whether to move that June 13 date will be decided very soon. He said that the sports committees for each sport will have to make individual decisions because the issue is different for each sport.
That could also result in changes in venues if the state championship date gets pushed back. The MIAA will announce the tournament formats as soon as the dates are solidified.
Also a motion was made to move the spring tournament cutoff dates back in 2016. The Tournament Management Committee voted 11-0 to extend the spring deadlines next year.
Since the date of the meeting to extend the season on March 17, it appears the tournament final date is going to be extended, too, according to Director of Athletics and Student Activities Mike Boyages.
