In one of the craziest plays from the 2019 high school football season, Marquette’s Ty Lotterman, top right, tips a pass intended for Traverse City Central’s Trey Searles, bottom right, during their game played at Marquette Senior High School on Sept. 6, 2019. Lotterman grabbed the deflection but lost the ball when hit by the Trojans’ Mitchell Stachnik, center, with the ball ending up in the hands of the Redmen’s Desmond Mullen, left, for an interception. (Photo courtesy Daryl T. Jarvinen)

Her Executive Order 2020-176 also allowed fitness centers and pools of all kinds in the entire state to reopen, though under the strict guidelines that most other public places have been placed under, including wearing masks, social distancing and a restriction on the number of spectators allowed at competitions.

The Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula, which together only have about 7% of Michigan’s population, had been allowed to have gyms and pools open since June as they were under a less restrictive phase of the state’s reopening due to fewer cases and less density of population during the coronavirus pandemic, according to an Associated Press story.

The governor’s order allowed the MHSAA to also reinstate boys soccer, volleyball and girls swimming and diving throughout the majority of the state where it hadn’t been allowed along with football.

But Whitmer’s office released a memo that recommends against — but doesn’t prohibit — some of these activities, the AP said.

Westwood center Matthew Paavo, center, gets ready to hike the ball in the first quarter to Taylor Dellangelo, left, or Garrett Mann in the Patriots' Division 6 playoff game against Menominee in Ishpeming on Nov. 2. (Photo courtesy Daryl T. Jarvinen)

“Given the available epidemiological data and the timing as many schools and universities return to campus, contact sports pose a high risk of disease transmission to athletes, coaches and the general community, and should be avoided at this time,” the governor’s memo said.

Nevertheless, the MHSAA needed little time to issue its reopening of various fall sports.

“We are thankful for the opportunity for kids to get back on the field in all fall sports, and we appreciate Gov. Whitmer providing that opportunity with Executive Order 176,” MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said in an emailed news release from Thursday afternoon. “We share the governor’s priorities of putting health and safety first, and the COVID-19 guidance and protocols designed by the MHSAA at her request have led to the safe starts in all sports across the state.

“Thirty-three other states are currently participating in all fall sports, and the MHSAA and its member schools are committed to doing this as safely as possible. We are ready to again provide those experiences to students and communities that have hoped for a return of some normalcy. Given the challenges of online education in many school districts across the state, providing sports and a daily routine may be more important than ever in motivating students and providing a safe outlet for physical activity, competition and socialization.”

Football was the only high school sport that hadn’t been allowed in the U.P. under the direction of Whitmer and the MHSAA. The wide-ranging Executive Order 2020-160 had addressed that issue.

Mark Uyl

For nearly two weeks, varsity competitions in U.P. girls tennis, volleyball and cross country have been held.

Originally, the Representative Council of the MHSAA had halted the high school football season on Aug. 14, four days after practices had been allowed to begin.

Schools aren’t required to play any of their sports this fall. They can continue to postpone their seasons until spring or cancel them altogether. But the MHSAA will only conduct a postseason tournament for the fall season at the same times or around the times those tournaments had originally been scheduled.

Football teams previously had been allowed to practice in helmets only — no pads — during the traditional first week of practice, which began Aug. 10, and then during MHSAA-approved offseason “contact” days beginning Aug. 24.

With the reinstatement of the fall season, football teams cannot begin practice again until Tuesday, then practice two days in helmets and shoulder pads before adding full pads on Thursday.

Regular-season games can commence on Thursday or Friday, Sept. 17 or 18, and teams will play six games beginning with their originally scheduled Week 4 contests, the games that had been already scheduled for that weekend.

All teams in 11- and eight-player football qualify for the playoffs that start on the originally scheduled weekend for them. Teams will advance through their usual postseason progression with the Eight-Player Finals the weekend of Nov. 27-28 and 11-Player Finals the weekend of Dec. 4-5. Those dates are a week later than usual, as it will take an extra week to whittle the field down to two finalists in each division.

Fall tournaments in other MHSAA-sponsored sports will be conducted as previously scheduled. No announcement was made specifically regarding U.P.-only tournaments that are held in girls tennis and cross country.

The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,500 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition.

On some of the other matters relating to the Whitmer’s latest executive order, she did not reopen movie theaters statewide, though they have been allowed to open in the U.P. and many northern Lower Peninsula counties, according to the AP. Bowling alleys, roller rinks and ice rinks — also reopened in the U.P. — can reopen elsewhere but only for the sole purpose of serving as a venue for organized sports — not more general public use.

The governor urged school districts and athletic associations to follow the guidelines issued by the state health department, which reported 36 outbreaks related to sports teams, clubs, tournaments or gyms in August.

“Going forward, we will continue to work with health experts to assess the risk associated with business sectors that remain closed,” Whitmer said in a statement quoted by the AP.

Such operations include cinemas, performance venues, arcades, bingo halls, amusement and water parks, climbing facilities, dance areas and trampoline parks.

“For the health and safety of our families and front-line workers, it is crucial that we proceed thoughtfully and incrementally so we can measure the effects of (Thursday’s) actions before we take additional steps toward re-engagement,” the governor said.

Spectators will be limited at sporting events, according to the AP. Each athlete can designate up to two guests.

Whitmer had faced pressure to ease her order.

The Michigan Fitness Club Association, which led a Capitol rally in July, said gyms “are part of the solution to the COVID-19 pandemic, not the problem” — noting that obesity is a factor in chronic health conditions that increase risks for people infected with the virus. Last week, high school athletes and parents held a “let them play” rally at the Capitol.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.