The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Mayfield pushes on amid COVID battles
Much of the routine Sept. 1 as the Mayfield boys soccer side returned to the pitch at North after a 10-day layoff was normal.
The sea of “One of the Lads” T-shirts, a nod to longtime Wildcats coach Sean McNamara’s players’ affectionate moniker.
The prematch tactical talk from McNamara as his side listens intently in a circle.
The crisp and lively possession drill.
Of course, these days amid the battle against the novel coronavirus pandemic are far from normal, though — especially on Wilson Mills Road.
Which is exactly why Mayfield’s return took on added significance.
On the pitch, it was a rough result for the Wildcats, who hung within a goal past the hour mark Sept. 1 but fell, 4-1, to the Rangers. McNamara’s side had not played since a 3-0 setback Aug. 21 at BrecksvilleBroadview Heights.
With Mayfield’s current fall sports reality, however — having football, girls soccer and volleyball all in various junctures of suspension due to positive COVID-19 tests — it nonetheless felt good for the boys soccer side to get in a match.
Especially for senior holding midfielder/center back Nico Marella, making his 2020 debut after sustaining a broken leg last fall.
“First, we heard about the volleyball team, and then it spread to the football team and girls soccer, so we’ve been really careful about everything and just making sure our teammates are just staying isolated, not going out and hanging out with people,” Marella said.
“At training, we all have
to wear masks when we arrive, and we don’t take them off until we start warming up.
“When we start playing, we keep the masks off when we’re playing. When we’re done, we put them back on. And we keep them on, really, until we get home.”
In an Aug. 31 letter to the community posted on the district website, Mayfield superintendent Keith Kelly stated volleyball and girls soccer are “scheduled to return” Sept. 5, and football is targeted for Sept. 6.
Boys soccer is the one contact sport for the Wildcats that has been able to continue. One match was affected, an Aug. 29 tilt with visiting Solon getting canceled.
But training and, now, the Western Reserve Conference match with the Rangers has proceeded.
“Everyone is following the protocol of what we need to do,” McNamara said. “The lads are under strict instructions to behave themselves when they’re not with me.
“And I hope to God that not only our program, but the other schools in the area, can get through this and get the season in. That’s the main thing for the students and for the players.
“From a coaches’ perspective, we want to play. But it’s critically important
for the seniors, like Nico Marella, who broke his leg and was out all season. It’s his first game coming back. And God love him.”
A first game unlike any he could have envisioned even six months ago.
“I missed the entire last season, and I was out for a couple more months after that,” Marella said. “And I’ve just basically been rehabbing. I was hoping for the spring season with my club team, but with COVID and all that, that got canceled. So I’ve really just been practicing over the summer with the guys.
“It was an OK game, but I’m ready to get back into things.”