Following an emergency meeting on Monday, September 21, the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) has permitted the play of both the football and volleyball seasons this fall. This meeting was prompted by an outbreak of criticism concerning the MSHSL’s original decision of delaying both sports until the spring of 2021.

When asked how they feel about their seasons resuming in the fall, junior Judah Thomas and sophomore Solvej Eversoll were conflicted. “I’m really excited to start playing again, but I feel like we just don’t have much time,” Thomas said, “teams in other places who made the decision to play this fall have already been competing for a month, almost two now.” Eversoll was also concerned about the timing of the volleyball season, but for other reasons; “right now it interferes with the club season, because depending on how strict the MSHSL is… you have to choose between club and school, which I think would break up a lot of teams.”

Both seasons are set to resume as soon as September 28th. The football season is scheduled to last ten weeks, while the volleyball season is set for eleven. With a statewide restriction on gatherings, the MSHSL is unsure about whether or not postseason competitions and tournaments will take place. Last week, the MSHSL gave the two sports the green light to practice for three weeks without competing; a decision that came after multiple surveys generated the consensus that athletes wanted to play in the fall.