HURRICANE MATTHEW: NCHSAA issues statement, alters tennis playoffs

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on October 13, 2016 9:57 AM

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Impassable parts of major highways prevented athletics directors from the Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference from meeting Wednesday morning.

They communicated through emails, instead.

And the N.C. High School Athletic Association finally released a statement mid-afternoon.

"The devastation as a result of Hurricane Matthew, particularly in eastern North Carolina is stunning," said Tucker, who has reached out to member schools over the past few days.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to all affected by the flooding that is ongoing. The NCHSAA is examining our options as it relates to playoffs and deadlines, but with flood waters still rising in some parts of the state, we will continue to monitor theses situations.

"Our primary goal at this time is to try to provide fair and equitable opportunities for those who have qualified to compete in our championships."

The Association established two new deadlines for regional (singles and doubles) qualifiers (Oct. 19) and dual-team playoff participants in girls' tennis (Oct. 24). An updated dual-team bracket should be released and appear on nchsaa.org within the next couple of days.

ECC officials said they will not conduct a tennis tournament and discussed an alternate plan to determine their regional qualifiers on the 3-A and 4-A levels. Eastern Wayne has secured the league's lone 3-A dual-team berth.

The postseason formats for volleyball, cross country, boys' soccer and football have not been changed. The state volleyball playoffs are slated to begin Oct. 22.

"The NCHSAA is examining our options as it relates to playoffs and deadlines, but with flood waters still rising in some parts of the state, we will continue to monitor these situations," Tucker said. "Our primary goal at this time is to try to provide fair and equitable opportunities for those who have qualified to compete in our championships."

Wayne, Lenoir, Greene, Pitt, Craven and Duplin County schools are closed for the remainder of the week due to flooding and sections of washed out roads. Those school systems do not permit teams to either practice or play games. Johnston County schools, though in not session, have received permission to let their teams begin practice today.

"I think a lot will depend on when everybody goes back to school," Charles B. Aycock athletics director Charles Davis said. "The southern end, it's going to be a while before the Neuse goes down. I rode by the ECAP (Eastern Carolina Athletic Park) today and haven't seen where it's gone down since Sunday.

"It's just one of those years if we can't finish out the regular season in volleyball, there's nothing we can do about it right now. Is it frustrating? Yes. I still think we have some time with soccer and football. We've still got some days to work with."

Buck Swamp Road, which leads to the ECAP, has remained flooded since Sunday.

Hurricane Matthews' disastrous turn over North Carolina lashed some areas with more than a foot of rain, and left behind swelling rivers and streets like rivers throughout much of the region south and east of Raleigh. By Tuesday, emergency crews in trucks, boats and helicopters had rescued more than 2,000 people from houses, porches, rooftops and cars submerged in raging flood waters.

The latest death toll is 20 and is expected to rise.

"We are appreciative of our NCHSAA member schools and their willingness to work with each other in this time of need," Tucker said. "We are proud of the ways in which the membership is helping to rebuild their communities as well as affected surrounding areas."