Varsity Schedule Set For 2020
Last spring, the coronavirus knocked out high school sports across the country. Many states have canceled fall sports too, or pushed them back to the spring.
But after long deliberations, the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference has given student-athletes a gift: the chance for a fall season.
It will be different from the Wreckers’ 61 previous seasons. All games will be “regional.” The FCIAC has been split into 3 groups (with Fairfield Prep and Wright Tech-Stamford added for this year only).
Staples has been placed in a group with Danbury, Ridgefield, Wilton, Norwalk and Brien McMahon. Each team plays the other twice — back to back, home and home — starting September 24, ending October 26. Click here for the schedule.
There’s a 2-game “tournament event” at the end, with the format to be determined. It will take the place of the traditional FCIAC and state tourneys.
Reserve and freshman teams will play on Saturdays, against the same opponents as the varsity.
There’s a longer than usual preseason. It begins with a week of conditioning and skills training (1 hour maximum). Then comes a week of 90-minute sessions. The first date for a scrimmage is September 18.
“It will look and feel a bit different at first,” notes head coach Dan Woog. “But it’s still soccer. It’s great competition. It’s what our guys have worked and trained for ever since they got to Staples.
“The CIAC — which is professional sports people, superintendents, principals and athletic directors — had a very tough task. They had to balance so many different ideas, models, demands and interests. They took input from a really wide range of sources. They took their time. They looked at other states and youth sports. They came up with a plan that has the best interests of everyone at heart.
“It’s still fluid. Things could change. It’s up to us — coaches, players, trainers, officials, parents and fans — to make sure it works. I’m grateful our players and coaches have a season. We will definitely make the most of it.”
A decision on fans will be made by each league. If the FCIAC decides fans cannot attend, the Wreckers will livestream every match.
Captains Surya Balaji and Jack Douglas lead the 2020 Wreckers.
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