It was all but a formality, but that didn’t make it any easier on Friday afternoon when the MIAA Board of Directors officially voted to cancel the Spring 2020 sports season due to the coronavirus. The decision had pretty much been made for them once Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced Tuesday that all public and private schools would remain closed for the rest of the school year, but the Board voted to make it official in a conference call vote.
“Spring student-athletes, especially the seniors, have lost so much this year,” said Board of Directors president Jeffrey Granatino. “We knew the odds were against us, but I appreciate the efforts of the Board and the Tournament Management Committee for trying to save the season.”
There was only one subject on the docket for Friday’s meeting, which was the passing of the cancellation of the season by a unanimous 16-0 vote. However, several member schools did ask about the possibility of allowing coaches and players to have contact if the virus or the statewide shutdown start to lighten up over the next several weeks. That contact, which would include practices and meetings, will be explored further and possibly voted on at the next Board of Directors meeting in just over two weeks.
Local coaches and athletic directors reacted to the news Friday, including St. Mary’s Athletic Director Jeff Newhall, who also sits on the Tournament Management Committee.
“With all that’s been going on I can’t say it was a surprise, but the finality of it all certainly is heartbreaking for all of the spring athletes, especially the seniors,” Newhall said. “I think the MIAA, the Board of Directors and the Tournament Management Committee should be commended for the work they did on a daily basis to keep the hope alive as long as possible by planning an abbreviated season we had all hoped for.”
Swampscott athletic director Kelly Farley commended the work of the MIAA in trying to keep hope for a spring season alive.
“Obviously we kind of knew this was coming with the closing of schools, but it’s just a real shame that this is how it ends,” Farley said. “That being said, I think the MIAA has handled this really well. They’ve been in constant communication the whole way and they took things step by step. They really tried to make it so we could have a spring season.”
Local coaches were hit hard by the news as well, no matter how obvious it might have been.
“It’s not an easy time for the seniors,” said Peabody baseball coach Mark Bettencourt, who had six seniors on his roster for this spring. “A few of the guys are going to play in college and that’s great, but there’s a lot of guys who are really missing out on an opportunity. I can’t tell you how many times over the years I’ve had guys who weren’t even thinking about college ball, then they had a huge senior year at the plate or on the mound and they got to continue their careers. There’s a lot of guys like that who will be missing out, and it’s unfortunate. At the same time, we all know it’s a necessary thing to do to keep everyone healthy, and I think we all understand that.”
“It’s a big disappointment for the seniors, not only for their seasons but also for all of the activities that have either already been canceled or are in danger of being canceled,” said Lynnfield softball coach Peter Marinelli. “These kids are losing their proms, their senior weeks and maybe even their graduations. It’s just terrible. We also have a pretty large number of younger kids on the team, so it also hurts that we won’t be able to meet and get to know each other this season.”
Saugus softball coach Steve Almquist has just one senior on his roster — star pitcher Caitlyn Wood — and he wishes she could get that final year on the high school field.
“I feel so bad for her, she was really looking forward to this season,” said Almquist. “She’s started pretty much every game for us since her freshman year and she’s kept us in a lot of games. If anyone deserved a senior send-off, it was her.”
The next Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 13. The Board will discuss next steps to take and also explore the idea of players and coaches getting together for practices should the virus lighten over the ensuing weeks.