The Saint John Vianney softball team was 27-1 in 2019 winning the Shore Conference Tournament.
By Rich Chrampanis
The window was left open for the possibility of a shortened spring high school sports season throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. That window shut Monday when New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced that schools would remain closed for the remainder of the academic year. The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) followed suit with the joint announcement that there would be no spring sports for the 2020 season.
“We reached this conclusion based on the guidance from our public health experts and with a single goal in mind of the safety and well-being of our children, educators, administrators and staff,” Murphy said Monday.
New Jersey reached 126,744 positive COVID-19 cases and 7,871 confirmed deaths as of Sunday. Only New York has more cases and deaths than New Jersey. Murphy said the NJSIAA supported his decision to close schools and shut down all high school sports for the 2019-2020 year.
“The NJSIAA medical board has concluded that due to a lack of testing, viable treatments and a vaccine, that spring sports were not a viable option,” Murphy said. “I know the NJSIAA took no pleasure in reaching that conclusion and frankly neither do I in stating it.”
Murphy’s call to close schools for the remainder of the year came just days after Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the same for New York schools.
It’s an unprecedented time in New Jersey high school sports. The coronavirus forced the end of the high school basketball season before state champions were crowned.
Christian Brothers Academy senior outfielder Ben Settino won’t get the chance to take the field in 2020.
“The Shore Conference is heartbroken for all of our athletes and fans who looked forward to the spring season,” said Rich Carroll, the president of the Shore Conference and athletic director for the Middletown School District. “We are especially sad for our senior athletes who didn’t get to see the completion of their high school careers. It’s a sad day all around.”
Now the focus of high school sports in the Garden State shifts toward the fall sports season where the NJ-SIAA will concentrate its efforts on various scenarios for practice and competition for the 2020-21 sports season.
NJSIAA Statement On Spring Sports
Following today’s announcement by Governor Murphy, the NJSIAA has officially canceled New Jersey’s 2020 high school spring sports season. This decision was not made lightly and we are disappointed for the thousands of New Jersey student-athletes who will be unable to compete this spring. While we remained hopeful to the end and left open every possibility, competition simply is not feasible given the circumstances.
The last few weeks have been heartbreaking on many levels, from the tragic loss of life to thousands battling the virus, to millions who have suffered emotional and economic loss. It’s been a harrowing time for everyone, and we know our student-athletes are extremely disappointed. That said, these unfortunate circumstances may have put an intriguing challenge in the path of our young people. As New Jersey’s own Vince Lombardi once said, “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.” We’re confident all our kids will get back up and stand tall.
The NJSIAA will continue developing plans for the potential restarting of scholastic sports during the fall season. Additional information related both to the summer recess and fall will be shared at a later date.
The article originally appeared in the May 7th – May 13th, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
