New Jersey High School Spring Sports Season Officially Cancelled

There will not be a spring sports season for South Jersey high school athletes.

The Governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, announced today that the rest of the academic year for New Jersey schools will be closed for in-person instruction for the rest of the academic year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With that announcement, there will be no high school sports in the Garden State. Since the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association has already stated the season won't start until schools reopen, the 2020 spring season is now officially canceled.

"Its extremely disappoint for the seniors across the state," said Mainland head baseball coach Billy Kern.  Not just for the spring, but for every senior that is missing the final weeks to be with their friends."

"The seniors work so hard for the opportunity to be the leaders, the captains of the team, and its a shame to see kids not have the finality of a senior day, of competing with their teammates one last time," Kern added.

The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association had been hoping and coming up with ways that teams could play this spring in the event schools were reopened.

On Friday, April 10, the NJSIAA announced it would not extend the season into the summer – as some had expressed interest in and even petitioned for – and set June 30 as the last possible day for a spring season.

It also set Memorial Day as the deadline for the start of the season in order to conduct state sectional tournaments. If the season were to begin after May 25 there would be no state tournament but conferences and leagues could hold tournaments with all play ending on or before June 30.

Sadly COVID-10 has taken sports away from the class of 2020.

"That all that being said, the safety of our players, coaches, umpires and their families everyone goes home to each night is the most important factor in this decision," Kern said.

Some reaction from some of the Cape-Atlantic League Schools: