With schools closed for the remainder of the academic year, athletic programs quickly followed.
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association announced Thursday afternoon that it was canceling all high school sports competition in the state for the remainder of the school year. The announcement ended the spring season for multiple sports before they started competition and halted the championship process for basketball and the small school half of swimming before they could be completed.
Following Gov. Tom Wolf’s announcement earlier in the day that all state schools would remain closed through the end of the academic year, the PIAA conducted a Board of Directors meeting via videoconference.
The decision was announced immediately after the meeting.
“Today’s decision by the PIAA Board of Directors was difficult for everyone,” PIAA executive director Robert Lombardi said, according to a press release on the organization’s website. “Their thoughts remain on the thousands of student-athletes, coaches, officials and family members affected by this decision.
“However, the Board’s position reflects a steadfast priority of keeping our student-athletes, officials and member schools’ staff and their communities safe, while following the guidelines provided by the Governor, the Department of Health and the Department of Education.”
There will be no spring sports seasons for Abington Heights, Lackawanna Trail and the rest of the schools around the state. Baseball, softball, boys and girls track and field, boys and girls lacrosse, boys tennis and boys volleyball teams all had started preparations for their seasons before stay-at-home orders in March, as part of the efforts to contain the coronavirus, shut down practice.
Abington Heights will not get a chance to repeat its accomplishment of five Lackawanna League championships last season. Its athletic program won the league’s overall boys tennis title with an unbeaten record, was also the unbeaten champion of Lackawanna Track Conference Division I in both boys and girls, as well as winning championships in Division 1 softball and baseball.
Lackawanna Trail will not get a chance to defend its Division 4 baseball title.
The move brings and end to the state basketball tournament in the quarterfinal round and eliminates the Class 2A state swimming championships.
Basketball tournament play was suspended between the second round and the quarterfinals.
Scranton Prep’s undefeated team, which includes players from the Abingtons, was among eight Class 4A girls basketball teams still in title contention.
“We played everybody who came in front of us and we had a tremendous amount of success,” Scranton Prep coach Bob Beviglia said. “I do take comfort in that. As a competitor, you always want to test yourself against the best to see if you are the best.”
The Classics won Division 1 of the Lackawanna League, including sweeps of their home-and-home series with Abington Heights and West Scranton, two teams that reached the second round of the state Class 5A tournament. They beat Dallas, the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 champion, in the district final.
Scranton Prep also handed state Class 3A quarterfinalist and Lackawanna League Division 3 champion Dunmore its only loss in the Lynett Memorial Tournament final and defeated WVC overall champion Lake-Lehman in non-league play.
The Scranton Prep roster includes seniors Elisa Kopicki and Grace Stampien and junior Maggie Kosierowski from the Abingtons.
“I’ll always hold in my heart the idea that we were going to win three games and win the state championship,” Beviglia said. “I know my kids believed that and the rest of my coaches believed that.”
Jarred Ocweija from Abington Heights, who qualified in the 50-yard freestyle, was one of the swimmers who did not get to compete in the Class 2A PIAA Championships at Bucknell University.
Scranton Prep’s Lauren Schofield, a junior from the Abingtons, was seeded second in the 100 breaststroke and third in the 200 individual medley. She was also part of the relays for the Classics, who were expected to contend for the team championship.
With winter cut short and spring sports eliminated, the PIAA and the local organizations that run high school sports, including District 2 and the Lackawanna Interscholastic Athletic Association, will eventually begin planning for the fall or what’s ahead. For now, uncertainty remains.
“The PIAA Board of Directors will meet in the coming months to address any concerns that arise from the membership from the COVID-19 pandemic,” the organization’s release said. “While PIAA remains hopeful that summer activities will be able to commence July 1, it is still too early to reach any decisions or offer guidance at this time.”
