By: Daniel Maiorana
When Howard County announced that Fall Sports were finally returning, students were thrilled. It had been about 14 months since players hit the field to play the game they love. Fast forward to March 2021, a year after the world had been shut down, COVID-19 is still finding its way into the sports world. JV teams such as Glenelg, Long Reach, and Mt. Hebron have been exposed to COVID-19 just one week into the season. Varsity teams such as Atholton, Oakland MIlls, and Long Reach have also been exposed to COVID-19, making it a total of 5 different schools out of competition for 2 weeks. The frustration players feel after hearing the news their season was starting just to be delayed another two weeks is very unfortunate. Seniors who have been ready to shine will get an even shorter season, and JV underclassmen will be missing key times in their high school careers when they are supposed to be spent developing skills for the years ahead.
Here are some of the facts from teams around the county. The Baltimore Sun has received news from Oakland Mills athletic director, Troy Steveson, who says their JV team was exposed during their scrimmage against Wilde Lake, so they won’t be on the field until March 19, when they are scheduled to play Mt. Hebron. The Sun also noted both Long Reach JV and Varsity teams are out according to Varsity head coach Jamie Willis, who confirmed both teams were exposed during their scrimmage against Atholton. A confirmed case on the Glenelg JV team was caused by their scrimmage against Mt. Hebron, so both JV squads have paused all activities. All cases have been confirmed, and it has even caught the attention of The Baltimore Sun, spreading the news about our county’s COVID-19 outbreak.
The grueling physical sport that includes lots of contact between players has already been put to the test with COVID-19. One week into the season, scrimmages have kicked off and so has the number of COVID-19 cases. Sophomore Nick Duvall, who attends Glenelg High School, doesn’t feel too confident about the rest of his season. When asked about what the two week pause will do for his team, he stated “many problems will arise because teammates won’t be able to interact with each other and gain more chemistry for our games.” He feels that the simple face-to-face interaction students are getting with each other on the field for the first time since November 2019 is the biggest problem. “It’s hard to understand the rules and exactly why a whole program has to be shut down for 2 weeks because of one covid case.” Duvall believes players who don’t have the virus or any symptoms should still be allowed to play football and showcase their skills.
Teams may only have one COVID-19 case, but they are still forced to take a two week break from an already shortened season. Howard County unfortunately can’t take any chances with the virus, so the only option is to completely shut the team down. Players feel that this isn’t fair because the teams with no COVID-19 complications still get to play football, but unfortunately that’s only one of many challenges the virus possesses. Losing these valuable two weeks will be a huge loss for these teams, because the other half of teams in the county will keep practicing daily, getting better by the day, while the teams facing the COVID-19 outbreak will have to play catch-up. For the sake of the rest of the season, players can only stay determined and hungry because they know their season could be cut in half if cases keep popping up. The contact aspect of football is why the virus has already done some damage one week into the season. Yes, players socially distance with masks on the sideline, but that serves no purpose because on the field players are constantly coming into contact with each other. Duvall emphasizes the fact that other states have played a full season and made the players their priority by giving them a season. “We need to get our lives back to normal because it’s ruining kids’ high school experience. You only get to go through high school once so we need to make it enjoyable.” The experience high school athletes get playing football and giving it their all with their friends out on the field is a special feeling, but COVID-19 regulations have left players hoping for just one more game, because they don’t know when their season could be over,
With all that is said about COVID-19, players are left wondering what the rest of their season will look like. More cases are sure to pop up around the county thanks to the constant contact the sport requires, and players can only hope that they can get as many games in as possible before the season ends. The motivation players have is diminishing because all their hard work in the offseason won’t be put to show. Only time can tell regarding the future of this shortened season, so players have to make every snap count.