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The 2020 high school spring sports season is canceled, the Montana High School Association announced Wednesday.

The announcement came after Montana Gov. Steve Bullock announced his phased reopening plan for the state and an end Sunday to the stay-at-home order, which was meant to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Bullock’s new order allows local school districts to determine whether they’ll have in-person classes after May 7.

The May 7 date is later than the May 4 deadline set by the MHSA board, according to a release, to have a spring sports season.

“The MHSA Executive Board proceeded with cautious optimism holding on to hope to realistically resume spring activities. It would be difficult to conduct meaningful spring activities from this late date, with many schools deciding not to return to in-person instruction, with the social distancing recommendations still in place, and along with many other factors,” Mark Beckman, Executive Director of MHSA, said in a release. “We empathize with all the students, schools and communities that this decision impacts, and especially with the many seniors that have shown maturity and resolve as their culminating year of high school has been impacted beyond activities and athletics due to this COVID-19 pandemic. The Class of 2020 will not be forgotten.”

Whitefish sports briefly started their seasons with the first practice on March 9 and would have had their first competitions in late March, if school had not been canceled. On March 15 Bullock announced the closure of all public K-12 schools in an attempt to prevent the spread of the virus, and with that came the suspension of all extracurricular activities. The closures had been extended in two-week periods through all of April.

With the season canceled, Beckman said MHSA is now looking ahead.

“We look forward to the resumption of high school activities during the 2020-2021 school year with some level of normalcy. Our office will be entirely focused on contingency plans for the 2020 fall season and beyond, should they be needed,” he said. “We will continue to communicate as state, local and health agencies keep us informed of new public health guidelines.”