A lot has changed since students walked out the door of their respective schools in the middle of March.
When Franklin County youths left school that final day, many did so thinking they’d be returning at some point before the end of the school year.
But when Gov. Charlie Baker announced on Tuesday that schools would remain closed for the school year throughout the Commonwealth, that day in March proved to be their final campus visits.
For student-athletes, the announcement that the school year has ended for in-person classes comes with more sad news. The Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) voted unanimously (16-0) in its conference call on Friday that, coinciding with Governor Baker’s order, spring high school sports would officially be canceled for 2020.
“In accordance with Governor Charles Baker’s announcement Tuesday that Massachusetts schools will be closed to in person learning for the remainder of the school year, the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) regretfully has canceled all spring sports and spring tournaments,” the MIAA wrote in a statement released on Friday.
The decision comes after weeks of discussion, where the state’s governing body of high school sports worked out contingency plans in order to salvage some semblance of a season. Friday’s announcement brought that to an end, however.
“Today’s decision by the MIAA Board of Directors was difficult, disappointing, and one that was deferred for several weeks as Association staff, Association members from the Tournament Management Committee (TMC) and the Board worked aggressively to construct optional structures to save the opportunity for our MIAA 80,000 student-athletes to enjoy a spring season,” the release added.
Student-athletes throughout the state feared the worst on Tuesday, and those fears were confirmed with Friday’s announcement.
“We didn’t know that it was our last day (of school) at the time,” Frontier Regional School senior Lily Spencer recalled of her mid-March departure from the South Deerfield campus. “I don’t really remember anything about it. I kind of wish I had taken the time to appreciate everything and say goodbye to everybody because none of us knew that that would be it.”
Spencer was supposed to be the starting catcher on Frontier’s softball team this spring. Her three-run home run in last year’s WMass Division 2 semifinals helped lift the Red Hawks to a spot in the sectional title game, where they fell to Hampshire Regional. The expectations were that Frontier could make another deep postseason run, and a championship was a realistic proposition.
“We only lost two seniors last year,” began Spencer. “Because we gained that confidence of ‘We can actually do this,’ because we got to the finals, I was really confident we would work hard and get back there again. We had a taste of playing at UMass and everybody was hungry to get back there and experience it again.”
That sentiment was shared by Turners Falls High School senior Aly Murphy, the starting catcher for her softball team. Big expectations follow the Powertown program, and this year was no different. Murphy and her teammates were primed for another state title run, and she said the hunger was there to avenge two straight state-final defeats.
“For us seniors, there was a lot of, ‘We need to get this one, this year is our last year,’” Murphy said. “We’ve been keeping in touch in our group message about everything, following along. (Tuesday) was definitely a rough day for all of us on the team.”
Murphy, who has been a varsity player since eighth grade, said not being able to experience one final season is hard to accept right now.
“Just being part of the program as long as I have been, I’ve always seen the seniors have their Senior Night, play their last games, and I’ve always looked forward to it,” she said. “And now I’m not getting that. It’s tough to take.”
Turners Falls Athletic Director Adam Graves also expected the softball team to be a state title contender, and the Thunder had prepared a schedule to challenge themselves yet again.
“It was probably the best schedule we’ve ever put together,” he said. “Softball season is a good chance for us to showcase our school and facilities.”
Spencer will play field hockey at Westfield State University next year, and Murphy will play softball at Russell Sage College in New York. While both will continue their athletic pursuits after high school, the suddenness of this lost spring is what really hurts the most.
“I knew the end of high school was coming but I thought I had a couple months left,” Spencer said. “I’ve been in school for 12 years and this was about to be the best three months in those 12 years.
“This was going to be my last softball season,” she continued. “Some of us were thinking maybe we’d get a shortened season in, 10 games or something. Just being with my team and competing again for the last time, I would’ve been happy with that knowing the season wasn’t going to be the same anyway. At least there would’ve been some closure for my senior year.”
Coaches have had a tough time as well, and Mahar Regional School track & field coach Sarah Woodward said that although Tuesday’s announcement wasn’t unexpected, that still didn’t make it any easier.
“When the news hit and it became a reality, I definitely cried a little because it’s all so sad,” Woodward explained. “I think everyone was expecting to not have a season, even though the MIAA and Governor Baker were keeping a glimmer of hope for a school year. In reality, we knew it wasn’t going to happen.”
The Senators have four seniors on their track rosters, and Woodward said she’s hoping to do something special for them this spring even though the season was canceled.
“I feel for them but I feel for everyone that isn’t getting to experience this season,” she said. “Hopefully, the athletes come out stronger from this. What can they do on their own to make themselves better without a coach or teammates pushing them? Where’s that intrinsic motivation?”
Veteran Mohawk Trail track & field coach Joe Chadwick admitted these are unprecedented times, noting that it’s been a long time since coaches like himself and Frontier track coach Bob Smith have had a spring off from guiding student-athletes.
“They finally figured out a way to stop Bob Smith and I from coaching,” Chadwick said with a laugh. “Probably like all the other coaches, we feel badly for the seniors. I don’t know what you can say, ain’t much you can say or can do, you just feel badly for them.”
MIAA President Jeff Granatino, the Superintendent of Marshfield Public Schools, said Friday’s final decision was not an easy one for members of his organization.
“It’s a decision based on better ensuring the health and well-being of our students, staff and families and it was the right decision to make,” Granatino said. “At the end of the day though, it still is a tough pill to swallow for thousands of student-athletes across the state who have already lost so much of their school year to this pandemic.”
Massachusetts became the third state in New England to officially cancel spring sports, joining Maine and New Hampshire.