Lorain County League boys hoops on hold

Lorain County League boys basketball teams will have to wait a bit longer to kick off their regular season.

That’s because the conference announced Nov. 20 in a statement winter sports within the conference have been put on hold.

The statement read; “Based on the recommendations of the CDC, Lorain County Public Health, the Superintendents, Principals, and Athletic Directors, all Lorain County League athletics are currently paused until Monday, December 7th. This pause includes all interscholastic competitions including non-league contests. The decision on practices during this pause will be determined by each individual school district.

“The administrative teams of all Lorain County League schools will reconvene by Friday, December 4th to assess the updated status using guidance from the Governor, the Ohio Department of Health, Lorain County Public Health, and the Ohio High School Athletic Association. Although this is a difficult decision, the health and well-being of our student-athletes and coaches remain our pri

mary focus during the current COVID-19 pandemic.”

Columbia coach Larry Babics was not surprised by the decision. He mentioned rising COVID-19 numbers in Ohio as to why the decision didn’t catch him offguard.

“It’s just one of those years where you just have to be prepared for anything,” Babics said. “You may be practicing one day and then get shut down or you may get a couple of games in and get shut down. We’re going to do what we can and still prepare our kids the best we can. Hopefully when they green light

us to play at some point, we’ll be ready to go.”

As of late, coronavirus case numbers have spiked across the state and Nov. 16, Ohio surpassed 300,000 coronavirus cases. Nov. 20, Ohio set a new daily record for COVID-19 cases with 8,808.

At his coronavirus briefing Nov. 17, Gov. DeWine said high school winter sports “so far” will proceed. The Ohio High School Athletic Association reaffirmed its plan to move forward with winter sports in a news release Nov. 20.

Firelands coach Alan Januzzi believes the decision

made by the conference was the right one so schools can keep their athletes safe.

“I think it’s a good decision,” Januzzi said. “We have to do what’s best for the league and for the kids in order to put us in position so that we can have as much of a season as possible. It’s one of those things that is out of our control.”

Now that the teams won’t be able to play any games until at least Dec. 7, both coaches will focus on making sure their teams stay positive during these uncertain times.

“One of the biggest

things we can do in coaching is teach kids how to deal with overcoming adversity and how to turn negatives into positives,” Januzzi said. “I think that’s what we have to do here.”

Babics has been conveying to his team to cherish every moment they have together because things can change in an instant.

“As we tell our kids, every practice, every film session, every scrimmage, you just have to count it as a blessing,” Babics said. “We have to be ready to adapt and stay mentally strong and go from there.”