Area athletic directors scrambling to reschedule games

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on January 31, 2014 1:47 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

Ibuprofen, anyone?

Old Mother Nature has had her fun and caused plenty of headaches for county high school athletics directors this week. The snow and ice which crippled basically the entire state has forced adjustments not only in basketball, but the postseason.

A week of basketball games has been lost.

"It is unusual for sure, and gives teams no time to prepare for some really important games in a short period of time," Southern Wayne athletics director David Lee said. "Teams have not been able to practice at all so rust may be an issue as well. Everybody is in the same boat, though, so no one team in the county has a disadvantage over the others.

"We should not have a problem getting all the games in as long as we are in school."

The N.C. High School Athletic Association recommends schools to make up contests on the next available playing date. Some games postponed from this past Tuesday have been rescheduled for either next Wednesday or the following week.

Make-up dates for Thursday's postponed games have not been announced. Teams in the Eastern Carolina 2-A and Carolina 1-A Conference have not entered the second half of league play.

Conference tournaments begin Feb. 17.

"Basketball games have to be made up before the conference tournament," Rosewood athletics director Robert Britt said. "With all of the games that have to be made up, it will definitely extend into some weekends. I think it's going to be hard (to reschedule)."

Schools are allowed to play on Saturday.

The state basketball playoffs tip off Feb. 24.

The Association announced Thursday afternoon some changes in regional swimming and diving. Divers in the 1-A/2-A and 3-A East will compete together Monday at the Pullen Aquatic Center in Raleigh.

The 1-A/2-A East swimming regional is Monday, while the 3-A East swimming regional is Tuesday. Starting times for both meets have been adjusted.

"A number of factors went into the decision to adjust the regional swimming and diving schedules," said Goldsboro native Davis Whitfield, commissioner of the NCHSAA. "Such things as facility availability, certain parts of the state being impacted more than others by the weather, many school systems still being out of school, and the state championship schedules were all part of the discussion.

"We believe the adjustments will help with student-athlete safety for travel while still providing enough time between the regional competitions and the state meets."

The season-ending Carolina-Coastal 10 individual wrestling tournament remains on go Saturday at Princeton. Rosewood is the league's automatic qualifier to the dual-team 1-A state playoffs, which begin Feb. 4.

Davis said in an email Thursday evening that the Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A wrestling championships are canceled for the first time in the league's 14-year history. Aycock has clinched the ECC's lone 3-A postseason berth and will make its 16th consecutive postseason appearance.

"Let's hope for no more bad weather," Spring Creek athletics director Heath Whitfield said.