Welcome Back
Welcome back, winter sports.
After a three-week hiatus due to Gov. Tom Wolf's shutdown, Pennsylvania high school winter athletics return this weekend, with a few different looks.
- Schedules have been changed.
- Masks will be worn — in some cases.
- Some gyms will allow a few fans, others will not.
- The WPIAL will hold open boys and girls basketball postseason tournaments as opposed to teams having to qualify for the playoffs.
“There's no blueprint for this. It's unprecedented,” Mars boys basketball coach Rob Carmody said of prep sports dealing with the ramifications of COVID-19. “All the work that's gone into getting things going again .... every time you play a game, it's a victory this year.”
Some school districts are requiring their basketball teams to wear masks while they play. Others are not.
“I never thought I'd see the day where I'd have to look into the impact wearing a mask may have on a high school basketball game,” Freeport boys basketball coach Wayne Greiser said. “But that's where we are.”
Butler's teams will not be required to wear masks while they play their home games. Neither are Seneca Valley's.
Both are prepared to do so on the road.
“We've been going through practices wearing masks, just to get a feel for it,” Butler boys coach Matt Clement said. “There may be road games where we have to wear them in order to play and we'll do that.
“We want to play as many games as possible.”Seneca Valley boys coach Kevin Trost agreed.“We would rather play the game with masks on than not play the game at all,” Trost said.Moniteau and A-C Valley are allowing no fans into games. Other area schools are allowing a percentage of people in — primarily parents — in accordance with the state mandate for indoor events.“A lot of District 9 schools aren't allowing fans in right now,” Moniteau athletic director John Stoughton said. “That's a temporary thing that we're hopeful can change later on.“Every (District 9) school — except for Clarion, which is working on it — has live-stream capabilities so parents can watch the games that way. I know that's not ideal, but at least it's something.”Stoughton added that while Moniteau's teams will be wearing masks, “we will wear disposable ones so kids can change masks every quarter or so as the masks absorb perspiration.”Butler's girls basketball team did not have to wear masks before the shutdown. Since practice has resumed, the Golden Tornado girls have been wearing masks.And without complaint.“I haven't heard a peep out of anyone,” Butler girls coach Mark Maier said. “It hasn't been a big deal. We just wear them. The kids have gotten used to them pretty quickly.”Being a parent of an athlete who's gone through injuries on the court, Carmody strongly believes a high school athlete's parents should be able to attend games in person.“Watching your kid score a basket has nothing to do with it,” he said. “It's about the kid being supported in the stands and it's about the possibility of injury.“I've been there, done that with my son. Imagine a player getting hurt in a game and the coach having to call his parents and tell them to go to such-and-such hospital ... I don't want to be the one to have to make that phone call.“Mom and Dad have supported these athletes for years. They deserve to be in the stands watching,” Carmody added.Karns City's gym holds 700 people, meaning 70 are permitted into basketball games. That includes players, coaches and cheerleaders.“We're adhering to all of our district's policies,” Gremlins boys coach Chris Bellis said. “It's going to be a strange season. We're only playing five conference games all season and we've got two of those (vs. Moniteau and Clarion) Friday and Saturday.“It's not ideal, but we're playing. Some of the mask issues — some teams wearing them, others not, different policies at different districts — will probably be worked out as we go.”Locker rooms have not been used during Butler practices. Clement said varsity players put their gear on one side of the gym while junior varsity players use the other.“We're doing everything possible to stay healthy,” Clement said. “Our kids have always appreciated playing ball with their buddies. Now they're enjoying it even more. We've all learned to cherish the opportunity just to get on the court and play.”Most coaches are indicating no problem with the WPIAL's late-December decision to have an open postseason tournament.If you want to be in the playoffs, just sign up and join the party.“I think it's a great idea,” Maier said. “This is the perfect year to try something like this. Teams will be more willing to play other people now .... You don't have to worry about seeding. Just play.”“It just makes sense,” Trost said. “Say North Allegheny plays 12 section games and we play seven. You can lose games to COVID without it being your fault. This is the sensible way to go.”Carmody went as far as to say the open tournament is “long overdue.“It's only an extra round or two,” he said. “Our last year in Class AAA, 22 teams made the playoffs. This year, there's 23 total teams in 5A. What's the difference?“Playoffs are a great atmosphere and everyone should get to experience it. Kids need normalcy. We owe it to them. We need to find a way to figure this stuff out.“It's going through the grind together, learning how to work with people, that's what high school athletics provide. Scoring a basket isn't essential to life. But those other things are,” Carmody added.
