As someone who has covered high school athletics since 2007, I feel pretty comfortable in my ability to say that this past fall season was unlike any season of
sports I’ve ever been a part of.
Starting with the postponement of high-risk sports like football and the very uncertainty of even having any sports this fall—continuing with the constant cloud of a potential shutdown looming over the season—every single game was played against the backdrop of a pandemic that touched every corner of the globe.
And that’s what will make this past season so remarkable, for better or worse.
I was a high school senior on Sept. 11, 2001. Prior to the attacks of that day, I had always viewed the “real” world as an abstract thing. Sure, I kept up with current events and watched the news, but analyzing American foreign policy wasn’t nearly as important to me as, say, getting accepted to a good college or preparing for that week’s football game.
But the events of that Tuesday morning changed things for me and millions of other American youths. Even for those who didn’t know anyone who was lost in the attacks, it was impossible to continue to exist in the insular bubble that high school can provide without contemplating the larger forces at work in the world.
For the student-athletes who were lucky enough to compete for their high schools this fall, I would assume that playing under the cloud of this pandemic was not dissimilar to my own experiences taking the field once interscholastic athletics resumed after 9/11. For me, stepping onto the field proved to be a respite from a world that suddenly seemed fraught with new fears and concerns, and I was truly appreciative of the chance I was given to—at least for four quarters—
forget about the increasingly scary world I now lived in.
Without exception, those emotions were apparent in every student-athlete who suited up in this fall season. Although newly implemented safety guidelines—
like the mask mandate and a noticeable decrease of fans in the stands—might have made it impossible to completely forget about the pandemic, there was an
undeniable joy in the play on the field, from powerhouse squads that won their regional titles to teams that struggled to put even one game in the win column.
Everyone, it seemed, was just happy to be playing.
Of course, because of the external factors at play, not everyone made it through the entire fall campaign. We saw teams from across all of Section I deal with positive tests that resulted in premature ends to their seasons, something we fully expected to happen coming into the year. But I was heartened to see that the obstacles faced by some teams only made those squads who continued on even more appreciative of the chances they were afforded.
They weren’t motivated purely by the chance to win titles, they pressed on knowing that they owed it to every team who wished it was still playing to give
100% at all times.
Now, nobody knows what the future holds for high school sports. Cases are spiking again, and sports that have been deemed “high-risk,” like basketball, wrestling and ice hockey, might be a longshot once schools are allowed to resume play in January.
But no matter what happens moving forward, I’m happy that at least some of our student-athletes got the chance to take the field this autumn. They say that
sports can teach important life lessons, and I have a feeling that these youngsters learned the very same one I was taught 19 years ago.
There’s so much in this world that is beyond our control, it’s important to make the most of every opportunity we are given. So when that ball bounces your way and you’ve got a good look at the goal, it’s on you to take the shot.
Follow Mike on Twitter @LiveMike_Sports
