The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Area teams won’t let down guard vs. COVID-19
Chad VanArnhem stood before the Kirtland football team on Nov. 7 and deep down was probably torn.
The superintendent of Kirtland schools knew the magnitude of the moment. The Hornets had just defeated South Range to advance to the state final four for the ninth time in 10 years.
Because of that win, there was cause for jubilation and celebration.
But with the potentially deadly coronavirus still hanging its cloud over the area, state and nation. VanArnhem’s words were heavier than he would have like them to have been.
“Just because you play together doesn’t mean you should hang out at each others houses right now,” VanArnhem said. “There are so many different layers of safety. You could do all the right things and STILL get (the novel coronavirus). Precautions decrease the chances of getting it.”
Because at this point, getting the novel coronavirus - or even being around it so as to create a situation of quarantine - end a season. It ends a dream.
No one knows that more than the three f ootball teams still alive for state championships on the gridiron - Chardon in Division III, Lake Catholic in Division IV and Kirtland in Division V.
Mentor played its Division I state semifinal last weekend, and did so with the coronavirus coming into play. All-Ohio quarterback Ian Kipp was held out of the game because of contact tracing for COVID-19.
Most recently, though not on a local level, but rather on the statewide scene, Kettering Alter head football coach Ed Domsitz tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Nov. 10 and will not be coaching in his team’s Division III state semifinal against Columbus DeSales.
Without a doubt, the focus remains on the football field as state championship game bids are on the line this weekend.
But area coaches involve admitted they also have an eye on the one foe that could end their season before stepping foot on the field this weekend.
The coronavirus. “Every week is a different hell,” said Chardon coach Mitch Hewitt. “The 2020 season is a season of landmines. You could literally do everything right, an if you sit in the wrong seat in class (next to someone who is unknowingly coronavirus-positive) and you jeopardize your season.”
Hewitt, as with other coaches in the area, have been vigilant in reminding their players to take proper precautions to better their chances of avoiding a virus that would end their season.
Even contact tracing means a 14-day quarantine — which would end anyone’s season right now.
“I said it before the season — it’s going to take a special team to win a state title,” Hewitt said. “You’ve got to be willing to isolate, not go to parties and do things teams have done for hundreds of years, all in the name of one goal.”
Because of what Mentor athletic director Jeff Cassella termed as “an uptick of cases” among Mentor High School students, Mentor is moving to virtual learning starting on Nov. 12, with all winter sports practices being paused for an undetermined amount of time.
Lake Catholic is within the Mentor school district, which is a cause of concern for Lake football coach Marty Gibbons. He said he, his team and coaches have been vigilant in their protocols.
“It’s stressful,” Gibbons said, “but at the same time, we’ve gotten used to adjusting for so long. There are elements you can’t control, so we aren’t going to focus on them. We will focus on what we can control.”
Such as protocols of distancing, wearing masks, washing hands and avoiding large gatherings.
“I’m aware of the situation at Mentor,” he said of the neighboring school a few miles away. “I’d be doing a disservice to everyone if I focused on that. Our school has done a good job with setting the proper standards. We have an opportunity to practice today, so we are focusing on that.”
Kirtland has two teams still in the run for state gold — the football team and the girls soccer team. VanArnhem said his school’s students and parents have done “a great job” with protocols to ensure their seasons won’t end before stepping foot on the field.
“Going back to August, we didn’t know if we’d even have a season,” VanArnhem said. “It’s a struggle just getting to these games with everybody healthy. Overall we’ve been making very good choices. I hope this dream season continues, but if you’re not a careful and are in the wrong place, now that dream is gone.”