Among the many uncertainties of 2020, our Manchester football team has struggled with not knowing if they’ll get a season this year. While the VHSL has since announced that football will be played in February, the cloud of uncertainty that hung over the team all through the summer and into the beginning of the year may have taken a toll on player morale. So I asked a couple of seniors and underclassmen how COVID has affected them this year to see if their feelings are different. 

Senior and offensive lineman Tyleek McCoy believes that COVID affected him in a good way more than a bad way. “It prepares our body and minds for the season,” he says. McCoy missed his team after the virus took away their fall season, but the extra time prepares them for the season they may have. The safety procedures that have been put in place, like masks, are odd and uncomfortable for the team to practice  in. “I know it’s keeping us safe,” says McCoy, “but it’s just different now. It doesn’t feel normal not being on the field in the fall for my last year, and not being able to enjoy my last 10 regular-season games,”  McCoy says. Another source of discomfort is not getting to enjoy the warmer fall games and having to play in potentially cold weather.  These changes have impacted underclassmen players as well.

“I’m not able to practice with some of my teammates,” says junior Avery White. White had to find alternate ways to work out when the gym was first to close. “COVID gives me free time to master my craft on my own by doing drills by myself and watching game films from previous years,” White says. It’s not just a love for the game that’s weighing on the players’ minds, however. 

“Most of the football players don’t just miss the field, they also miss each other,” White says. “They are like family to each other and watch each other grow. COVID took that from the football players, but especially the seniors, who only have this year to play with their team. Of course, they still get their season, but not until February.”