MIAA Committee Highlights: October 21-24, 2024

The following are highlights from MIAA Committee meetings that took place from October 21-24, 2024. These highlights are not intended as a substitute for official meeting minutes, which will be posted if approved by the respective commitments at a future date.

Rugby Committee – Thursday, October 24, 2024 

Election of Officers:

• Chair: Jeff Sperling
• Vice Chair: Kate McCabe
• Secretary: Ryan Madden

2024 Spring Tournament Review:

Amy Daniels provided an update on the 2024 Rugby Tournament. Highlights included:

• Successful inaugural presentation of the Bill Good Sportsmanship Award with his family in attendance for the ceremony.
• A successful partnership with Next Level Rugby, which provided high-quality live streaming of the events through a top-notch production team.
• Continued strong relationship with Curry College, which remains a supportive host of the MIAA Rugby Finals.
• Strong attendance and an overall championship atmosphere.
• Ongoing discussions about the possibility of holding future events on a grass field.

2025 Rugby Tournament Format Update:

• The committee approved language to cap the number of qualifiers at a maximum of 8 teams per division, aligning with rugby's one-match-per-week limit and the tournament's three-week timeframe.
• 2025 Rugby Format was unanimously approved

Other Notes:

• Approved minutes from March 27, 2024 meeting.
• Leagues in discussion on combining back to one league for scheduling purposes. 
• Discussion on schools creating new programs and utilizing the cooperative team option to grow the game.
• Tackle height rule has been lowered from the arm pit to the sternum. May result in cards being issued for high tackles. 
• Harvard University Rugby Coach, Colton Cariaga, attended the meeting and discussed potential ways he could support the growth of the game, including the possibility of Harvard hosting future finals.
• Subcommittee created to review the 2025-27 Rugby Proposed Alignments and will send proposal to full committee. 
• Reviewed and voted on rule change proposals.

Baseball Committee – Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Election of officers:

• Chair: Tom O’Brien, Haverhill
• Vice Chair: Dick Newton, Lynn English
• Secretary: Mike Denise, Blackstone Valley

2024 Baseball State Tournament:

• Tournament reviewed by Jay Costa, Tournament Director – Overall very successful tournament
• Weather issues on Friday of State Tournament forced games to be played on Sunday
• Ticket sales good
• Net down due to challenges with semifinal sites and distances of schools involved
• Discussion around scheduling of games – only date to schedule around is graduation; what do we do if teams cannot mutually agree? Who then ends up dictating – Home Team, Tournament Administration, etc…
• Predetermined Sites vs. Neutral Sites – are predetermined sites OK despite being a higher seeds field.
• All Spring TD’s need to work together with scheduling in later rounds.

2025 Baseball Format 

• Format was reviewed and approved.
• Would like TMC to leave dates for each round in the tournament as pitch count issues and manipulation of dates was prevalent during 2024.

Officials Topics:

• Officials will be submitting a proposal at the January meeting regarding a fee increase for regular season.
• Future discussion regarding having 4 officials at semi and state finals

Coaches Topics:

• Pitch counts (currently a Rule Change Proposal)
• Coaches requesting a future discussion regarding the MIAA to handle round of 8 and on – Coaches would like MIAA to take control from Round of 8 on.
• 1A status – subcommittee established to begin discussing data.

Rule change proposals were reviewed and voted

Basketball Committee – Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Election of Officers

• Chair:  Jeff Newhall, St. Mary’s
• Vice Chair: Ron Drouin, Tewksbury
• Secretary: Chris Mastrangelo, Malden

NFHS Basketball Rules Updates

• The 2024-25 NFHS Basketball Rule Changes, Editorial Changes and Points of Emphasis were reviewed.
• The committee discussed a potential procedure to address situations when a visible shot clock malfunctions. The committee recommended continuing play with one visible clock and handling the process at the scorer’s table if both clocks are out. Further information regarding the approval process of this recommendation will follow. 
• The committee thanked Bill Boutilier for over a decade of service as the officials representative on the committee.

MIAA Basketball Tournament

• The committee voted 13-3 in favor of recommending 5 divisions in basketball.
• The committee voted 1-15 against supporting a 1A tournament in basketball.
• Winter sport alignments (2025-26 and 2026-27) will be released on December 1 with a January 1 appeal deadline.
• The committee reviewed potential future cut off dates and will discuss further at the next meeting.
• Tournament formats are due to the Tournament Management Committee by March 1. The Basketball Committee will finalize the proposed 2025-26 format at the next meeting in January.

Running Clock Discussion

• The committee reviewed score data from 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024 regular season games. After discussion, the committee decided not to recommend a running clock and to communicate NFHS Rule 5-5-3 which states, “A quarter(s) may be shortened in an emergency or at any time by mutual agreement of the opposing coaches and the referee.”

Coaches Topics

• The annual MBCA Coaches Clinic will take place November 3 at Babson College and the MBCA Hall of Fame Banquet will take place November 24 at Holy Cross.
• The MBCA reiterated its support of neutral sites for round of 8 games and a state assigner beginning with the round of 8, concern regarding margin of victory, and opposition to a football tournament proposal that impacts the winter season.

Other

• The nomination deadline for the MIAA Sherman Kinney Basketball Award is January 10, 2025.
• The committee voted on the MIAA Handbook Rule Change Proposals.

Tennis Committee – Monday, October 21

The Committee elected leadership positions:

• Chair: Dave Bouchard
• Vice Chair: Nick Schlierf
• Secretary: Gary Pina

Dave Bouchard reported out about the Spring 2024 Tennis Tournament

The Committee approved the 2025 Tennis Tournament Format

Richard Pearson discussed an opportunity to research possible digital solutions for tournament information and team management

USTA representatives spoke about the USTA High School Coaches’ Module and other supports for high school tennis participants

The Committee voted on 2025-27 Rule Change Proposals

Sports Medicine Committee – Monday, October 21

The Committee met to vote on all Rule Change Proposals