Just like that, prep sports across Pennsylvania have come to a complete halt.
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced Friday afternoon the closure of all K-12 schools across the Keystone State for 10 business days beginning Monday due to the coronavirus outbreak, and with that announcement came the suspension of all practices and athletic events, too.
As of a tweet from the Pennsylvania Department of Health at 5:16 p.m. Friday evening, 41 cases of COVID-19 have been detected in Pennsylvania, six of those being confirmed cases and the rest presumptive positive tests. Most are concentrated in the eastern end of the state, while Washington County, located just south of Pittsburgh, had its first case pop up Friday.
The governor’s announcement comes after the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) had postponed its remaining winter championships — basketball and Class AA swimming and diving — on Thursday. That suspension was set to last at least two weeks, and the governor’s proclamation leaves in doubt that those tournaments are completed.
Locally, the Coudersport girls basketball team was still alive, and was originally set to face District 10 champion Kennedy Catholic today in the Class A Elite 8. CAHS athletic director John Sherry said the PIAA had not contacted him about any further postponements or cancellations as of a phone call with The Era at 5:30 p.m.
“I’ve heard nothing from the PIAA today,” Sherry said, and added, “Nothing (regarding the postseason tournament) has been (officially) cancelled other than the two-week period. We’ll wait and see how the two weeks pan out, but a lot will depend on what Governor Wolf says, and then we’ll go from there.”
However, due to the closure of schools, practices for both the remaining winter sports teams and for spring sports teams preparing for their openers are now suspended, as well. Pennsylvania’s opening day for spring sports was set for March 20, but that will now be pushed back until schools reopen. Some schools have already begun the process of rescheduling events that were set to take place this month, even in the days after the school closures end.
Sherry says how athletes choose to stay sharp — or not — is up to their own discretion, but that organized practices will not take place.
“If they can find a gym to get into, then great, but some towns will have that and some towns won’t,” Sherry said. “It’s a tough situation, that’s for sure.”
Meanwhile, at Smethport Area High School, athletic director Rick Woodring echoed the sentiment of this being a tough situation — particularly for the athletes and seniors especially — but that he understands and agrees with the decisions being made to close schools and suspend practices.
“I support the whole thing. I understand the situation, and it’s disappointing as far as athletics and school events go, but as time goes on, this seems to be going into a real crisis situation,” he said. “For the safety of people’s health, I understand what they’re doing, and we just have to adapt to it the best we can.”
Woodring, who coaches track and field at Smethport in addition to his AD duties, said he has instructed the school’s coaches to provide no instruction to athletes while the school remains closed.
“Schools and events are closed, so no practices, no coaching,” he said. “Our coaches in spring sports will not coach any of our athletes in any capacity. We can’t on school grounds, and we won’t be off of school (grounds) as well.”
However, he said, athletes may choose to work out on their own or in groups together, provided it’s safe to do so.
“If the kids want to go on their own and organize to hit balls or if my track kids want to run, they can,” he said. “But (coaches) will not be there.
“We’re not requiring or enforcing it, but my suggestion was that if (athletes) want to stay in shape, (they should) work out… We’ll adapt the best we can. I told the kids to use good judgement and good hygiene more than they already are.”
How the spring sports season plays out afterward — or at all — remains up in the air, though. Woodring says he hopes to have spring sports in any capacity, but that as schedules keep getting pushed back, some events may end up being totally canceled rather than postponed. The school has already postponed baseball, softball and track events that were slated for the end of the month that were scheduled for after the two-week closures.
“We could lose non-league games, because league games take priority,” he listed as an example. He later added, “Everybody would be pushing (schedules) back, and we may just not play 20 games; we may play 15 or 16… At this moment, it’s not panic, because we’re just looking at one game or meet. We’ll work that out, and we have a plan and opening to put (rescheduled events). It’s just wait and see.”
