The Section IV Athletic Association has voted to postpone the 2020 Fall Sports Season until March 2021, the organization announced Wednesday, September 16.

Therefore, all Section IV schools and leagues will follow New York State Public High School Athletic Association guidelines for a Fall Sports Season II, which is scheduled to begin March 1, 2021. This includes Hancock, which competes in the Midstate Athletic Conference as both the Hancock Wildcats (bowling) and the Deposit/Hancock Eagles (all other sports).

The Delaware League, Interscholastic Athletic Conference, Southern Tier Athletic Conference and Tri-Valley League are also in Section IV.

The Section IV Athletic Association’s statement reads: “After much League and Section IV discussions, in the interest of student health & safety and with financial concerns due to New York State aid to Education cuts, Section IV member schools have voted – 59 YES; 10 NO; 1 abstention – to postpone the Section IV Fall Sport Season to the NYSPHSAA Fall Sports Season II with a start date of March 1, 2021.”

The NYSPHSAA’s Return to Interscholastic Athletics Resource Document states that the 2020-2021 Winter Sports Season may begin November 30, 2020. To view this document or for more information about the NYSPHSAA’s plan to return to interscholastic athletics, visit its COVID-19 information page online at http://www.nysphsaa.org/COVID-19-Info.