Lost season: What cancellation of spring sports means in athletes' own words
Shoreham-Wading River's Xavier Arline carries the ball in the third quarter during the state Class C boys lacrosse semifinal between Shoreham-Wading River and Rye on Wednesday, June 5, 2019 at Adelphi University. Credit: Bob Sorensen
Emma Ward, Babylon HS, girls lacrosse
Emma Ward of Babylon. Credit: Chris Ware
“My heart immediately sank, and I began to cry. It's so upsetting. Everyone always says your senior year is your best year, not just in sports but in academics, too . . . It’s just really, really, really hard that it’s not going to happen now.
“I’m lucky I have the chance to continue my lacrosse career at Syracuse, but some of my friends will never play a sport again because they are concentrating on academics in college. Thankfully, I’ll go on to play next year, but a little part of my lacrosse career isn’t complete because I wasn’t able to fulfill my last season in high school.”
Xavier Arline, Shoreham-Wading River HS, boys lacrosse
\Xavier Arline of Shoreham-Wading River. Credit: Joseph D. Sullivan
“It’s tough. I don’t think it’s really hit me 100% yet . . . Both of my parents are in the medical field, and they kind of keep me updated on the whole situation . . . I can sit at ease and be comfortable with the way I ended my career in both sports [lacrosse and football] with two championships with the guys that I love. I feel bad for all the seniors and players all across the country, but I’m handling it pretty well. I’m just going to use this time to be there for others now."
Kal Lewis, Shelter Island HS, boys track
Shelter Island's Kal Lewis. Credit: Bob Sorensen
“It’s kind of heartbreaking because it’s everyone’s senior year, and this was the last season for kids to perform well and get some good [race] times for college."
Jenna Laird, East Meadow HS, softball
East Meadow shortstop Jenna Laird. Credit: James Escher
“It didn’t hit me right away and then once I started talking about it with my friends, it really became more real. I never pictured not being able to play with my friends for my last season as a senior, and I just want to be able to spend more time with them before I leave for [the University of] Missouri.”
Belle Smith, Westhampton HS, girls lacrosse
Belle Smith of Westhampton. Credit: Joseph D. Sullivan
“It’s heartbreaking. I’ve been waiting for my senior year lacrosse season for the last six years, so it definitely stinks . . . I’m just lucky and thankful I had five years of lacrosse . . . Although I kept my hopes high, I was realistic also and knew there are bigger things going on in the world right now.”
Zach Hafner, Sachem East HS, baseball
“It just seems unreal right now. I have been excitedly waiting for my senior season to come and I thought it was going to be our year to do something big. It just seems like a nightmare, and I’m waiting for it to end. Knowing that even if we do go back to school, I will never be able to play with my friends again is beyond heartbreaking.”
Hunter Vertuccio, East Rockaway HS, softball
“I’m disappointed . . . but I understand that’s what has to happen during this time to keep everyone safe. We tried to remain hopeful that our season would still happen. We tried to get everyone to keep in shape and keep working on what they had to work on throughout the quarantine to remain ready for the season.”
Anthony Labita, Plainedge HS, baseball
“Although I’m disappointed, I think it’s the right decision in order for things to go back to normal. As a team, we had really high expectations for this season . . . I feel awful for the seniors who aren’t playing baseball in college, and this was their last chance to play.”
Brock Murtha, Sayville HS, baseball
Brock Murtha #14 of Sayville bats against Rocky Point during the Suffolk Class A baseball final sat Sayville High School in Sayville on June 3, 2019. Credit: Daniel De Mato
"One of my friends sent a screen shot from Twitter in the group chat and my heart just dropped. I was really shocked that they were canceling sports before they made the call on canceling school. I didn’t see it coming. It really sucks that I’m not even going to get the chance to go after it [he was 13 home runs shy of the Long Island record]. If I went out there and came up short, it would have been different. But now I’m just heartbroken. We were looking great in tryouts and our team last year was amazing. We had a bunch of returners and I’ve been playing with a lot of those guys since I was 5. A lot of kids live for that last season and look forward to it their whole life, and it’s really devastating to not have it.”
With John Boell and Gregg Sarra
