All four coaches felt like the decision to cancel the state championships was a real possibility after the NBA, NHL and many other sports leagues decided to suspend competition this week.
“I thought the writing was on the wall once the NBA suspended play," Hoosac Valley girls basketball coach Ron Wojcik said.
The Hurricanes were scheduled to take on St. Mary’s of Lynn in the Div. III girls basketball state championship this weekend.
“Would I rather play? Absolutely. But with what is going on you don’t want to put people at risk,” Wojcik added. "I think it’s the right thing to do. You have to accept it for what it is. I told the kids, ‘You got to play in a Western Mass. championship and a state semifinal’. You look down in Connecticut and see they cancelled their tournament. You have to be grateful for what you have, but what is most important is the kids’ health.”
All four programs are dealing with a confusing mix of emotions. The teams are proud to be named co-state champions, but are disappointed that their respective programs won’t have the opportunity to be named sole champions.
Wojcik said that the reaction from his players was “mixed."
“Certainly a weird way to end everything,” Wojcik added. “Especially the seniors realizing that they had already played their last game. There were some tears with that. I guess some happiness too that they are still state champs. ... It was interesting.”
