Perennial power DeMatha and the rest of the WCAC's football teams will be on hold this season. (Toni L. Sandys/Washington Post)

The Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, one of the highest-profile high school leagues in the country, followed most of the other leagues in the region by announcing Tuesday that it will cancel the fall athletics season because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The league added that it is “currently exploring various scheduling options with a start date of January 1, 2021.”

“Athletics plays an important role in the school environment and the overall development of students," WCAC Commissioner Steve Colantuoni said in a statement. “The safety of our student athletes will always be the first priority in any future decisions concerning rescheduling of fall sports.”

Colantuoni told The Post by phone Monday night that the league was not planning on sanctioning any competitions before Jan. 1 — like the D.C. State Athletic Association, the Virginia High School League and other private leagues — but left open the possibility of a shortened season.

“We want to leave as many doors open as we can,” Colantuoni said Monday.

High school sports are uncertain for fall, and the clock is ticking

Composed of only private schools, the WCAC is not obliged to follow the lead of any state jurisdiction. While it must adhere to local regulations for outdoor gatherings, and the league’s 13 schools fall in three Virginia counties, three Maryland counties and D.C., the WCAC can otherwise operate independently.

The league also has enough schools, 13, to play a full season within itself, even if nobody else in the area is playing.

The WCAC, perennially deep in Division I prospects across many sports, may also be the league most affected by a spring football season. Many college prospects could enroll early, leaving high school before their senior seasons begin. The rest of the college signees would be due on campus early in the summer for workouts, just a few weeks after the spring high school season is scheduled to end.

If the WCAC cannot play football until the spring, Colantuoni didn’t rule out the possibility of a seven-on-seven tournament held locally in the fall.

Coronavirus news in D.C., Virginia and Maryland

The latest: More than two years into the pandemic, covid cases in the D.C. region are rising again, , while liberal Montgomery County asks who deserves credit for its robust covid response. Meanwhile, Black funeral directors still face a daunting amount of deaths from covid and the omicron wave has had an unequal toll in the DMV.

At-home tests: Here’s how to use at-home covid tests, where to find them and how they differ from PCR tests.

Mapping the spread: Tens of thousands have died in the local region and nationwide cases number in the hundreds of thousands.

Omicron: Remaining covid restrictions in the D.C.-area, plus a breakdown of variant symptoms and mask recommendations.

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