Unfortunately, North Carolina is no stranger to catastrophic flooding caused by hurricanes.

In 2016, Hurricane Matthew caused widespread river flooding in eastern North Carolina. Two years later, in 2018, Hurricane Florence devastated the southeast part of the state with days of rain followed by river flooding.

Both storms caused tremendous damage in communities and schools were closed for an extended period of time.

North Carolina now faces severe flood damage in the western part of the state from Hurricane Helene. We likely don’t have a full understanding of the damage yet, given the remote nature of some areas in the mountains and the fact that communications infrastructure has been damaged. But from what we do know, it’s clear the impacts have been widespread and devastating.

Some school districts in North Carolina have already announced they will be closed all week. Who knows how long those closures will end up lasting.

For those in the areas affected by the storm and flooding, sports are probably the furthest thing from their minds. However, there have already been questions about what the severe damage and extended school closures could mean for the rest of the state when it comes to fall sports.

Given our state’s history with hurricanes, we have a precedent for what may happen next.

Following Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Florence, the N.C. High School Athletic Association Board of Directors voted to change the fall sports calendar to allow schools impacted the opportunity to make up as many games as possible while still participating in the state playoffs.

In the past, we have seen the football regular season extended by one week, which pushed the playoff schedule back one week. The NCHSAA did not change the number of teams that qualified for the playoffs, so state championships were just a week later than scheduled. If that were to happen this year, the regular season would end on Friday, Nov. 8, playoff brackets would be released on Saturday, Nov. 9, and state championships would be played on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 20-21.

We’ve seen other fall sports impacted in the past as well. For example, the playoff schedule for volleyball and boys soccer has been condensed in the past under similar circumstances. That allowed teams in those sports to finish their regular seasons, while still playing the state playoffs.

In terms of where we are in the calendar relative to past storms, Hurricane Matthew hit in early October and Hurricane Florence hit in the middle of September. So, we’re right between those dates on the calendar today. That would suggest the time left for schools to make up games could be insufficient, depending on how long schools are closed in the western part of the state.

We know some schools will likely have to find other places to play for the rest of the season. Pisgah High School’s football stadium has experienced severe flooding for the second time in three years and just one year after it reopened. Social media photos have also show major flooding at Freedom High School’s stadium and tree damage at East Henderson High School.

The NCHSAA has not made a decision about any changes to the fall sports calendar this year due to Hurricane Helene. It’s too soon for them to do so. It will require conversations with school officials and districts in areas of the state where communication is very difficult. And frankly, those school officials have bigger things to deal with right now.

If the NCHSAA gets to the point where it needs to consider schedule changes, they’ll have to consider the availability of facilities for state championships too. The board will have to vote on any changes.

So, could the NCHSAA extend the fall sports season because of Hurricane Helene? Maybe. We’re not at that point yet, but the association has shown in the past that it will take that step if it is necessary.

Source: highschoolot.com