WPIAL Seniors From The Class Of 2020 Reflect On PIAA Cancelling Sports & High School Careers Ending

Franklin Regional baseball player Bryce Harper attempts to swing at a baseball during a baseball game.

SOURCE: TRIB LIVE HSSN | Bill Beckner Jr.

You get one senior year of high school. You get one chance to do something in high school. Mars student athlete Michael Carmody understood that. Back in August 2019, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer Mike White interviewed Michael Carmody in a Blue-Chip Chat. Carmody, a basketball and football star at Mars, had already committed to playing football at the University of Notre Dame before the start of the 2019 WPIAL and PIAA football season. White asked Carmody if he ever thought of enrolling early at Notre Dame and skipping his senior season of basketball.

"Honestly, it never crossed my mind and Notre Dame is not a place to push you to enroll early. Playing for my dad (Mars coach Rob Carmody) one last time in basketball means a lot. My spring semester as a senior, my senior prom ... you only get one of those. It never crossed my mind to enroll early," Carmody responded in the article.

Carmody's future teammate, Pine-Richland graduate Andrew Kristofic, decided to skip his senior season of basketball in the 2018-19 academic year in order to enroll early at the University of Notre Dame where he was recruited to play football.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf decided to extend school closures for the remainder of the academic year due to COVID-19 back on Thursday, Apr. 9, 2020. Later on, that same day, after Wolf made the decision to extend school closures, the PIAA decided to cancel sports for the rest of the year. That meant there will be no spring sports and the PIAA basketball and swimming championships would not continue as the state playoffs were already in progress. After these decisions were made, many seniors from the Class of 2020 realized that their high school careers were over. Now, those seniors will still learn online for the rest of the year, but knowing that they will not enter the school again seems like a nightmare to them.

Charley Rossi, a junior at South Fayette High School felt really bad for the Class of 2020 as he realized that their high school careers ended too soon.

"My first thought was how bad I felt for the senior class. I couldn't imagine walking out of that building [South Fayette] without a proper goodbye and taking it all in," he said.

Now, Rossi will probably have a full senior year of high school next year in the 2020-21 academic year, but him knowing that some of the seniors in the Class of 2020 did not have the opportunity to have a full year that he might have next year made him feel bad.

You have to feel bad for the senior athletes who played sports in the Winter that were playing in their state playoffs for their specific sport because they would have never known if they would have won the state titles that they had worked hard for. For the senior athletes that played sports in the Spring, the hard work that they put in during the Winter and Fall will not be displayed as those athletes basically got punched in the gut.

Many student athletes from the Class of 2020 were happy enough to explain their feelings to me of how they felt once these decisions were made of school being cancelled for the rest of the year and the PIAA cancelling sports for the rest of the year.

Senior Kylie Sinn made some noise in her high school career as she played basketball and softball for Carmichaels while also playing soccer at Waynesburg Central and winning a WPIAL championship with them in 2017. She was looking forward to playing her senior year of softball at Carmichaels.

"I was absolutely devastated when I heard the news. I love softball and have been looking forward to my senior year for so long. In my mind, it was a chance for the seniors to finish what they started. We all had set individual and team goals and will never have the opportunity to fulfill them. I was really looking forward to seeing what my team could accomplish this season. However, I have to remind myself that athletics aren’t the most important thing right now," Sinn said.

Carmichaels had lost to Laurel by a score of 12-4 in the WPIAL 2A softball quarterfinals in 2019. Sinn wanted revenge, her team was hungry, but they will never have the opportunity to show how hungry they were.

Senior Dante Clay made some noise on Moon's football team as the starting quarterback. He helped lead the Tigers to the WPIAL football playoffs for the first time since 2014. He even helped Moon win a playoff game as they won their first-round game to Franklin Regional by a score of 35-7. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, this past WPIAL football season, Clay passed for 787 yards and threw 6 touchdowns. Clay ended his senior year of football knowing that he was able to help bring Moon's football program back up. He felt bad for the Winter senior athletes that were on the chase for a state title.

"I felt heart-broken for all the basketball players on their trip to states and couldn’t finish their journey anymore. Now with springs sports, I couldn’t believe it because this would’ve been the last year they had the chance to get recruited, and play the sport they love one more time in their own town. Not to mentioned how hard they all have worked during the off season," Clay said.

Senior Bryce Harper is considered one of the best baseball players in the WPIAL as he was supposed to play his senior year of baseball at Franklin Regional. Harper's Panthers were one win away of making it to the WPIAL 5A Baseball championship game last year in 2019. However, they lost to Laurel Highlands in the semifinals by a score of 4-1. They even made the PIAA 5A Baseball tournament and won in the first round by a score of 13-4 against PIAA District 10 champion Cathedral Prep. With the COVID-19 pandemic getting stronger, Harper was expecting the announcement of the PIAA cancelling sports.

"I think we all knew it was coming but when the announcement came out it finally hit me that I actually wasn’t going to get to have a senior season. Heartbreaking. COVID-19 has affected my life in every way imaginable. It’s affected my school, work, baseball, and family life just like it has for so many other people," said Harper.

Bella Bucy was supposed to play her senior year of softball at Thomas Jefferson High School. Her Jaguars had lost to Mount Pleasant in the WPIAL 4A Softball semifinals last year. The Jaguars worked hard in the offseason to get back up top as one of the best softball teams in 4A. However, they will not be able to play. Bella will continue her softball career next year at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Even during this tough time, she has still managed to get practice in for softball.

"I try to practice as much as I can. I hit off the tee a lot. Other days I will go in my backyard or to a field that is close to my house and pitch with my dad. My pitching coach has also started to give us virtual pitching lessons on FaceTime. So, I’ve been doing that as much as I can too. I also try to run when it’s nice out to stay in shape for the summer tournaments and for next year when I go up to IUP," Bucy said.

Upper St. Clair senior Grace Swigart enjoyed her time playing high school softball as there were plenty of memories that she had.

"My favorite softball memory was actually this past year in the fall. We had just made it to the playoffs (the first time in 20 years), and Coach Bill had us participating in the Mt. Lebo tournament to start to get ready for the next season. It was a two-day tournament and we ended up playing Canon-McMillan in the championship. The game was super intense, and everyone was putting in max effort. We played cleanly and after being in a bit of a slump before the tournament, I hit a homerun in the Canon-McMillan game and the game before. We ended up beating them. We had long losing streaks against all of the teams in our section and Canon-McMillan was the only one we couldn’t beat during the season. I loved knowing that my actions had helped my team beat one of our toughest competitors," Swigart said.

She will play softball at West Liberty University next year,

Bethel Park senior Anthony Chiccitt wanted to play baseball with his friends for one more season. Chiccitt was a three-sport athlete at Bethel Park as he played football, basketball, and baseball. He was diagnosed with cancer, Hodgkin's lymphoma, back in February 2019. He was able to finish his treatment and beat cancer back in April 2019. He had an excellent senior year of football quarterbacking Bethel Park to the WPIAL football playoffs and was able to help the Blackhawks get into the WPIAL 6A Boys basketball playoffs. The friendships that he had created in high school and the sports that he played seemed to have made a big impact in his life. "I’ll miss seeing my friends every day and having fun [at school], but most importantly high school athletics. There is nothing that beats the feeling of getting to play in front of big crowds with my best friends representing our community and I am going to miss it more than anything," Chiccitt said.

Senior basketball players Alyssa DeAngelo and Riley Derubbo had both helped reach their respected basketball teams to the PIAA 5A Girls basketball playoffs. DeAngelo played basketball for Thomas Jefferson while Derubbo played at Trinity. Both their teams were supposed to play in the Quarterfinals round of the PIAA playoffs. Their chances of winning a PIAA title in their senior year is gone because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It was honestly a surreal feeling. I was anticipating the cancellation mostly because other states were, but even when it happened it didn’t feel real. It’s hard knowing we had a chance at a state title or just one more game for that matter, but we did get to end on a win when most teams don’t. I definitely wish things could’ve went differently and I especially wish I could play with my team again, but nobody could’ve expected this," DeAngelo said regarding her PIAA title run cancelling at the midway point.

She will play college basketball at Fairmont State University next year.

Riley Derubbo had torn her ACL going into her junior year of basketball in 2018. Missing a lot of her junior year, last year, was upsetting to her but it made her a better person. The work she put it in during the offseason showed as she helped the Hillers reach the WPIAL 5A championship game but lost to Chartiers Valley 58-40 back on Saturday, February 29, 2020. However, the Hillers won their first two state playoff games and were going to play PIAA District 3 champions Gettysburg in the PIAA quarterfinals. Perhaps, the Hillers would have won that game and might have faced Chartiers Valley or Thomas Jefferson in the PIAA semifinals. Maybe after that they would have found themselves playing in the PIAA title game. We will never know how the Hillers season could have been played out if COVID-19 didn't interfered in the way. Riley definitely wished the season didn't cancelled.

"I was disappointed, but mentally tried to prepare myself for it. My team and I were really excited about how we were playing at the time and all felt we had a great chance of making it to the final four," Derubbo said.

She will play college basketball at Fordham University next year.

Some WPIAL athletes are able to do well in the sport they play because they have friends in school that support them and are there for them when needed. Keystone Oaks basketball player Frank Stumpo misses his friends as the COVID-19 pandemic has affected his daily routine life.

"Day to day life has been affected due to the school [Keystone Oaks] closing, I really miss spending time with my friends at school. But there’s nothing we can do but be careful so we just gotta roll with the punches," Stumpo said.

He will play college basketball at LaRoche University next year.

WPIAL lacrosse does not seem to be talked about much from the media. You might not know some of the top players because of the lack of coverage in WPIAL lacrosse. I will tell you that Shady Side Academy's Jack Naughton was considered one of the best WPIAL Boys lacrosse players as he was supposed to play his senior year of lacrosse this spring. He was extremely excited to play with his boys for one more season and thought the PIAA could have waited to make a decision.

"I honestly just feel lead on. We have so much time before the end of the year, and to make this decision right now, at the beginning of April, just seems like all hope is being taken away too son. I feel a better option would have been to wait until May, then call it, because no one knows how this situation will play out. With it being cancelled I could see a lot of kids saying why not and going out and breaking the conduct set in place because they have nothing to hope for. For me, personally, I am someone who has a lot of hope and tries to keep a positive outlook on things. Lacrosse wise, I’m extremely saddened that I won’t be able to put in the same jersey as my brothers and go to battle. Those guys and that team are my family and I will forever cherish the time I had with them. Lacrosse is special in Pittsburgh. We have a lot of guys now playing at the next level in my class, including D1 such as myself, and I think it’s really growing the game and showing that this city could be a new hot bed," Naughton said.

He will play NCAA Division I lacrosse at the college of Holy Cross next year. He also won two WPIAL soccer championships during his high school career at Shady Side Academy in 2017 & 2018.

Mark Black is another senior that is going to play athletics at the NCAA Division 1 level next year. He was a star baseball player at Serra Catholic as helped lead them to the WPIAL 2A baseball championship game and PIAA 2A baseball championship game in 2019. Both of those championship games ended up in losses as he was hungry to get back to those title games this season. He will have no chance to get back at those title games.

"I was obviously disappointed that spring sports had been cancelled but I wasn’t surprised. When every major sport plus the Olympics got postponed or cancelled, I could sort of see the writing on the wall. However, not having much hope didn’t make it any easier to know that I wouldn’t have one last chance at a state championship with a team that I’ve grown so close with," Black said.

He will play college baseball at St. John's next year and has been practicing a lot during this COVID-19 pandemic.

"During the quarantine, I have really just focused on staying polished and in shape. I set up a wall to do my arm care routine as well as a tee and net to hit into. Then I have some dumbbells, a barbell, and a few plates so I have been able to keep lifting at home focusing on just staying healthy," he said.

Other WPIAL senior athletes such as Burgettstown's Riley Kemper (football/wrestling) and Hampton's Ben Horvat (football/lacrosse) talked to us about the importance that high school had on their lives as athletics was a way that they got through their high school careers.

"The thing that I will remember the most [in high school] is winning in the consolation round at states in order for me to place for wrestling, my goals I had for four years were finally accomplished," said Kemper.

He will play football at Robert Morris University next year. Horvat will attend Swarthmore College next year as high school has helped him get ready for going to college.

"What I would say that I learned most about my time in high school is that you have to appreciate everything while it is still here. I have learned to be a little more grateful for what I have been able to do and achieve over these last few years. While I am upset that the [WPIAL & PIAA lacrosse] season is over, I do not regret the time we put in. The tough off-season conditioning, the sometimes-tedious gym practices, and the sacrifices that come with a 3-5 practice a week schedule in the off-season between coaching and playing was all worth it. While it was here, I was thriving and enjoying every minute around my teammates. While we will never know how this season would have gone, I will say this: we are a family. We had a blast playing the game we love while it was here. No matter what, we will always have that bond. That last night of the scrimmage, I knew what could come. I wasn't scared or upset though. I just took it all in, enjoying every second I could and playing like there was no tomorrow. I encouraged many of my teammates to do the same (some reacting different than others at the suggestion). I hope that people can take the disappointment that can coincide with the cancellation of the season and turn it into a more positive outlook on life. While my days of high school and high school athletics are over, I am now able to appreciate all of the special moments that I have had in high school rather than dwell on what I missed," Horvat said.

WPIAL Track & Field is popular and some of the WPIAL's finest runners, jumpers, and throwers wanted to compete this year. Sami Taoufik won the WPIAL 3A High Jump event last year as a junior and wanted to repeat the title in his senior year which was supposed to be this year. He was shocked, but not surprised when the PIAA cancelled spring sports for this year.

"My first reaction to spring sports being cancelled was just jaw dropping. I kind of knew it was going get canceled but I didn’t even want to think about it I also felt bad for all the people who weren’t able to finish out their senior winter seasons especially my basketball team it would have been awesome to watch them win a state title. It also just feels worse for me because my indoor season was cut so short; I was only able to jump healthy two times and got injured for the rest of the season and I know I’ve gotten a lot better from last year. I fully believed I would have won the state outdoors championship and break a lot of records," said Sami.

Jahmaine Hatten was on Central Catholics' WPIAL 3A 4x100 meter relay championship team last year as he ran in the fourth leg. They finished with a time of 42:39 seconds. He was hoping he could win another WPIAL championship in Track, but that opportunity will not happen. He will run Track & Field at Duquesne next year as he was disappointed that his senior year of Track & Field did not happen, but he did have some good memories at his time at Central Catholic.

"I was very sad and disappointed. I was highly looking forward to my last season of high school track and was planning on breaking my own school record and making some more. My favorite moment in high school was when I broke my school's 100M dash record my junior year."

As the COVID-19 pandemic is still going on, we need to think of the Class of 2020 as they had their senior year end too soon. As some of you are reading this, I hope it made all of you appreciate everyday life. For all of you that were able to have a full senior year of high school, you should be blessed that you were able to live it because of the Class of 2020 will not be able experience their full senior year like myself and others of you had. We get one chance at life and we should all be able to go after our goals and dreams because it can all end in a blink of the eye.

Brentaro Yamane: bkyamane@gmail.com and Twitter @BYHilton13