The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) Board of Control met on Wednesday at Siegel High School.  The session, which was live streamed via YouTube to more than 1,800 viewers, adopted contingency plans for the fall contact sports of football and girls’ soccer.  The session also adopted guidelines for all TSSAA sports including the elimination of all scrimmages until further notice. Additional mandates and recommendations for fans were adopted including the wearing of face coverings, limitations on attendance at events and a body temperature scan of all participants, media, officials and fans while attending TSSAA contests.. 

“The regulations and guidelines the Board passed today go into effect immediately for all sports,” said Bernard Childress, Executive Director of the TSSAA. “We’re hopeful that the prohibition on contact sports will be lifted before August 29, but if it’s not, the Board of Control has put some policies in place to help keep our kids and communities safe and lay out a roadmap to the start of our football and girls’ soccer seasons.”

What the association does not yet have is an exact start date for competitions. The reasoning there is fairly straightforward: Tennessee high schools and their athletics programs, as well as myriad other entities, cannot begin practices and/or games in contact sports under Gov. Bill Lee’s current State of Emergency Order. Executive Order No. 50 promotes “social distancing and avoidance of large gatherings” and limits activities in contact sports.

On Wednesday, the board adopted the “Option 2 Hybrid” plan which preserves the potential for an 10-game regular season and full playoff format, but also lays the groundwork for what could become an eight-game season with a reduced playoff field for Division I.

The plan perhaps is most succinctly summarized as thus: Once the state of Tennessee reaches the date of August 4 and the governor’s executive order declaring a State of Emergency still stands, region games originally scheduled for Week 1 of the prep football season will be moved to later, common dates that TSSAA already has modeled. As each week passes where no contact is allowed, the next week’s region games are rescheduled.  With the unanimous vote on the Option 2 Hybrid, there is a potential start date in place and a plan for the football season to begin as early as August 21^st  or as late as September 18^th.  Additionally, the soccer season could begin as early as August 20^th or as late as September 7^th. 

The board also passed a motion of safety guidelines that will be implemented throughout the fall sports seasons and will affect all sports, cheerleading and band as well as others involved in those activities.

Included in those guidelines:

• Players, coaches and personnel will have to take a temperature check prior to practice every day. Any person with a temperature 100.4 or higher will be required to go home immediately and cannot return without a negative COVID-19 test or verification from a doctor that the temperature wasn’t a cause of COVID-19.

• No coach, player or personnel can compete without a COVID-19 questionnaire completed.

• There will be no scrimmages for all fall sports, jamborees or seven-on-seven contests. Scrimmages must be limited to intrasquad.

• Fans entering a facility must have temperatures taken (with exception given to children 2 and younger). The same guidelines that are in place for players and coaches remain. Temperature checklists must be posted prominently.

• Member schools must require fans to wear face coverings while attending events.

• Concession stands will not be prohibited but will be discouraged, with options that would ensure social distancing recommended.

• Coaches must complete a NHFS COVID-19 course, which will be provided free.

• While no exact figure was set, schools were urged to offer limited seating (from a third to a quarter capacity) during events, posting areas that were not available.

A motion also passed that any team not able to play a postseason contest because of COVID-19 would forfeit. Any regular-season games with that scenario would be considered no-contests.

See the full guidelines at: https://tssaa.org/returntoplay

The pictures, material and information contained in this story may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten, or redistributed, for commercial gain, without the express written consent of Coffee County Broadcasting.

The Manchester Youth Baseball Association postseason tournament continues on Thursday.  The league’s postseason tournament’s championship games scheduled for Monday, July 27^th.  

Thursday MYBA Schedule

6U Division at T-Ball Field

5:00 PM – Manchester Tire & Brake vs. Lovelady Auto Parts

7:30 PM – Star Physical Therapy vs. Cooper Sports

8U Division at Fast Pitch Field

6:00 PM – Freedom Automotive vs. KK’s

12U Division at Aaron Miller Field

5:00 PM – Clower Automotive vs. Shelter Insurance

7:30 PM – Powers Storage vs. First Vision Bank

18U Division at Looney Riddle(Babe Ruth) Field

6:00 PM – Manchester Braves vs. Mets

The pictures, material and information contained in this story may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten, or redistributed, for commercial gain, without the express written consent of Coffee County Broadcasting.

By: Mark Bowman – MLB.com

Though the shape of the challenge has changed, the Braves still have the same World Series aspirations that existed before the coronavirus pandemic ended Spring Training in March.

While the Braves would certainly like to celebrate a third straight National League East title, their ultimate goal is to bring Atlanta its first World Series championship since the strike-shortened 1995 season.

The 60-game season that awaits will look much different than the one navigated by those Braves 25 years ago, but the satisfaction and excitement it creates could prove to be quite similar.

Here’s a look at what to expect from the Braves in 2020.

What needs to go right?

With Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies, Freddie Freeman and Marcell Ozuna, the Braves may have the NL’s best Nos. 1-4 hitters, but the bottom of the lineup is a concern. Now that Yasiel Puig is no longer an option following a positive COVID-19 test, there is a greater need for Austin Riley to become the masher he was in the first six weeks of his career last year. If Riley can get back on track and Dansby Swanson builds on the success he had last year, Atlanta’s lineup should be plenty deep and consequently increase Acuña’s plate appearances in the leadoff spot.

Big question

One of the most influential pieces this year could be Swanson, who exited last June with 15 homers and an .815 OPS. What had the makings to be a strong season crumbled as he missed a month with a bruised right heel and produced a .611 OPS over the season’s final three months. Per Statcast, the Braves shortstop hit .020 lower than his Expected Batting Average (.271) and slugged .058 lower than his Expected Slugging Percentage (.480). If he shows opposite-field power, like he did early last season, this could be a very efficient offense.

On the schedule

Though getting off to a good start is important for every team during a 60-game sprint, it will be even more important to the Braves, who are scheduled to play their first 20 games — one-third of the season — before getting a breather. That 20-game stretch ends with a five-game road trip that includes games against the Phillies and Yankees. By Aug. 12, we may have a good feel for how successful the Braves might ultimately be this year.

Team MVP will be …

As good as Acuña was while finishing three steals shy of joining the 40-40 club last year, he’s primed to be even better this season. The 22-year-old outfielder is one of four players in the past 25 years to hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases within a 60-game span. Expect him to match that feat this year and provide even greater defensive value with his arm in right field.

Team Cy Young will be …

It’s pretty hard to pick against Mike Soroka, who is one of the most cerebral young pitchers the Braves have developed since Tom Glavine. The young right-hander gained confidence from the gem he produced in last year’s NL Division Series against the Cardinals and could once again be an NL Cy Young Award candidate.

Bold prediction

The Braves will win a third straight division title, but they will not hold sole possession of first place before the season’s final weekend.

Mark Bowman has covered the Braves for MLB.com since 2001.