New Youth Sports Guidelines Open Door For No-Contact Games
BOSTON (CBS) – Massachusetts released new guidance on youth sports, including high school athletics, on Thursday. Based on the guidelines, games can happen if deliberate contact is eliminated and players are kept six feet apart for the majority of play.
The new guidelines will likely mean it will be a challenge for football, hockey, lacrosse, and other sports considered "higher risk" to be playing games this fall.
Read: Massachusetts Youth Sports Guidelines
Ethan Cupples plays football and lacrosse at Marshfield High School. "All I want is just for everyone to get their final shot, for their senior year to really go out and take we wanted you know," Ethan told WBZ. "We have been working so hard and we just want to finish it off the right way."
The contact and distance rules also apply to moderate risk sports like baseball, softball, track and field and soccer.
WBZ-TV's Nick Emmons reports
"You always want to make sure that you're going to at least have a little bit of a reward for all the work that you're putting in," said Charlie Baillargeon, a senior captain on the Andover football team.
The Andover High School football team has been hitting the weights preparing for the season.
"I think we've all accepted the fact that it's going to be spring," Andover senior AJ Heidtke said. "I think everyone just wants to play."
The MIAA said in a statement it is waiting for guidelines from education officials before responding to the latest update.
"I can't say for certain that athletics will not look like they have in their traditional form," said Tara Bennett of the MIAA.