What Could Have Been: Timber Creek Sports Cancelled Due to COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has engulfed the sports world. Preparation for the spring seasons essentially means nothing. The chance to bring glory to the school is done for this year. Seasons in progress will never have a dramatic finale.

Orders to stay inside have canceled most events that were expected to occur in the next few months. Sports around the world have been delayed or postponed. Falcon athletes have experienced no exception to these cancellations.

Timber Creek Soccer

Before the stay at home orders were announced, the boys and girls soccer teams found themselves in the middle of a push to make the playoffs.

Under Coach John Besancon, boys soccer was in third place, with two regular-season games to go; both of which were set to follow spring break.

“The cancellation is sad because one of those games was senior night,’ Varsity soccer Right Winger Michael Wetzel said.

Wetzel was a rotation starter on the wing for the team this season; which was his fourth on the team. Scoring two goals, and providing speed up the flank, Wetzel was a valuable asset to the squad.

“After being in the program for so long, it [senior night] was something I was really looking forward to,’ Wetzel finished.

Wetzel, as well as the other seniors on the team have a strong feeling of incompletion. While there has been no official complete cancellation of the season, the outlook looks bleak.

It seemed that 2020 was going to be a special year for the boy’s soccer team, as they had a solid mix of seniors and younger talent that created a great on-field product. Certainly, the boys are feeling anguished, due to the fact that their stellar season will not be concluded. Boys soccer won their final game of this season before spring break, prevailing 2-1 over district rivals, Fossil Ridge. In third place when the season was frozen, the boys would’ve been a top district team in the state playoffs.

Girls’ soccer was down but not out of the playoff race.

“The team this year had a close bond and we were finishing the season off strong,’ Senior Forward Skyler Gerard said of her squad.

Standing in sixth place and two and a half games back from the final playoff spot held by Keller, the girls were hoping for one last push. The final games were to be coached by Interim Head Coach, Kathy Reeves. The two season closers were not projected to be easy as Southlake Carroll and Central were in the books for the Falcons. The final game that the girls played this season resulted in a 6-2 thrashing of Fossil Ridge.

Track and Field

While soccer was in progress, some sports, such as track and field, had barely started. Senior runner Josh Parker was affected heavily by the cancellation.

“Everything I had been working for [for the] past 5 years is now gone,’ Parker said.

Parker was on track to break both school records for running hurdles, and a high prospect for making the state competition. Devastation was seen across the reactions of track and field athletes.

Quickly after cancellations were announced, many athletes used social media as an outlet to share their frustrations and opinions. One of the reactions that circulated stated “I can’t [explicit] believe it,’ which was a feeling shared by many athletes. These athletes could not fathom that the pandemic was doing this to their lives. Preparation and anticipation were vanquished instantly and without warning.

Baseball and Softball

Softball and Baseball were among the sports that were in pre-season. Both sports are postponed indefinitely.

Baseball started the season with high hopes, excited to grind through districts. The cancellation hit the team like a truck.

“It’s hard to stay positive, but we are pushing through,’ Senior Outfielder William Deshotels said.

Deshotels has played baseball all 4 years of his high school career, and shared a combined hope to finish his final season strong along side his teammates.

Softball had gotten into district play, and held a record of 1-1 before the season was postponed.

“I’m not being able to play the sport I love,’ Senior second baseman Cassandra Parks explained.

The season put a wrench in the machine that was the Softball team. Coming in with more experience than the previous team had, Softball had something to prove. Confidence ran high among the players, making it more painful when the sudden stop occurred.

“I definitely feel like we would’ve made the playoffs this year,’ Parks concluded.

While sports being canceled is devastating for everyone involved in sports–including sports editors–the health and well-being of the country is more important. Remember to follow all health guidelines, while continuing to practice social distancing. Timber Creek Talon Sports wishes well to all readers and hopes that all people are staying safe in this trying time.