CHAPEL HILL — As a result of Gov. Cooper’s announcement Wednesday to extend Phase Two of the state’s reopening plan for another five weeks — until at least Sept. 11 — the NCHSAA announced on Thursday that the start of fall sports for the 2020-21 school year would be delayed beyond the recently projected Sept. 1 date.

“We want to play sports during this upcoming school year and are making plans to do so; however, the health and safety of all participants, including coaches and other essential staff, will be a priority as decisions and plans are made,” commissioner Que Tucker said.

The NCHSAA’s statement said they are reviewing all options and are seeking input from SMAC and DPI (a sports Ad Hoc Committee), in the hope of announcing a sports calendar for the upcoming school year by Aug. 17.

Scotland County athletics have and continue to remain in an indefinite dead period. According to Scotland Athletic Director David Johnson, the school board is set to meet Monday and may address athletics during the meeting.

“Obviously as a football coach, it’s disappointing that the season has been delayed for us in Scotland County,” said Scotland football coach Richard Bailey. “We haven’t even been allowed to start [anything] of any nature, yet. So our kids and coaches are starving for football.”

“All we can do is try to trust the leadership of our state and be ready when our time is called,” he added.

The NCHSAA transitioned to Phase Two guidelines for workouts and conditioning activities on Aug. 3. These workouts are required to follow a specific social distancing protocol, as well as stringent cleaning criteria for facilities.

The additional delay by the NCHSAA means the earliest that practices and tryouts for fall sports could begin would be Sept. 12, with the earliest dates for games to begin some weeks after that.

Reach Neel Madhavan at 910-817-2671 ext. 2751 or [email protected]. Follow on Twitter at @NeelMadhavan.