WARREN, Mich. – When De La Salle Collegiate kicks off the 2020 soccer season this week, it will do so without fans in the stands at Saint John Baptist de La Salle Field.

“The CHSL Central Division Athletic Directors agreed to not allow fans until the state raises the 100-person limit,” Pilots interim athletic director Dennis Parks said.

De La Salle, Brother Rice, Detroit Catholic Central, and the University of Detroit Jesuit make up the Central Division.

Currently, in Phase 4 of Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s 2020-21 Return to School Roadmap, large scale outdoor spectator or stadium events are limited to 100 people, and those individuals who are not part of the same household must maintain six feet of distance from one another.

Southeast Michigan is in Phase 4 of the governor’s order, and the current 100-person limit in Michigan includes all players, coaches, and officials. It’s unclear how soon the order will be lifted, as the state may ease some restrictions if the COVID-19 situation improves. So it’s still possible that the Pilots could have fans in the stands at some point during the season.

For now, however, it’s another reminder that prep sports are beholden to a virus that remains undefeated.