With spring sports cancelled, East Meadow coaches and students look to the future

East Meadow School District athletes were going into this year’s spring sports season with their heads held high after successful seasons ended last June.

The East Meadow High School girls’ softball team had made it to the Class AA state semifinals for the third year in a row. The W.T. Clarke High School baseball team had captured its first Nassau County Class A title since 2013.

But now it’s game over. Any hopes for even a modified season were dashed on April 21, when health and safety concerns led athletic administrators and school superintendents in Nassau and Suffolk counties to announce the cancellation of the spring sports season.

The Section VIII athletics conference governs Nassau County, and Section XI, Suffolk County.

“For the safety of our student athletes, Section VIII has made the difficult decision to cancel spring sports for our high schools and middle schools,” said Pat Pizzarelli, the executive director of Nassau County athletics. “Long Island is one of the areas most affected by this terrible pandemic, so both section VIII and Section XI have made this very difficult decision.”

Administrators in both counties met over the course of two days last week, and decided that it was important to act sooner rather than later. Even if public school buildings reopen sometime after May 15 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo has yet to decide whether the statewide closure will be extended — no sporting events will be held.

Nassau County’s Athletic Council, which includes superintendents, principals and sports officials, met on April 20, and was unanimous in its decision to cancel the season. District athletic directors met the following day, and agreed.

“At first I didn’t want to believe it, and I didn’t believe it,” said Jenna Laird, a senior on the EMHS Lady Jets softball team. 

Laird has been playing since she was 5, and hopes to continue her softball career this fall at the University of Missouri. Her last game was the state semifinals in South Glens Falls last spring, and at the time, she believed she would have another season with her teammates to try to capture the state championship.

Nevertheless, Laird said, she and the other players remain optimistic. “After we heard the season was canceled, we tried to make the best of it and not just be upset,” she said. “My friends and I are all going to college to play softball, and we could use this time to get stronger and better on our own.”

Laird said that the Lady Jets have been checking in with one another every day. Softball Coach Stew Fritz also promised to reunite the team over the summer for a senior send-off.

“It’s a shame that these kids are never going to get this time back in their lives … that they’re not going to have the joy of competing,” Fritz said. “The team bonding and interacting is what we’re going to miss most.”

East Meadow Athletic Director Kevin Regan added, “Everyone’s health and safety are most important, but this is difficult news to share. I’m heartbroken for the coaches and our kids.”

“With everything going on, you could see it coming,” said Tom Abruscato, coach of the W.T. Clarke varsity baseball team. “It’s definitely still disappointing. I have 13 seniors, and almost everybody is back from a county championship.”

Last June, the Rams had a dominating 7-0 win over Division Avenue High School in the Class A county finals at SUNY-Old Westbury. “You could argue this was one of the best teams we’ve ever seen at Clarke,” Abruscato said.

Nonetheless, he shared Laird’s optimism. Clarke’s underclassmen players have used the free time to make videos demonstrating their skills. And with NCAA games also canceled, more college coaches have had time to focus on recruitment.

“We’ve set up a bunch of conference calls for juniors,” Abruscato said. “We were able to make a lot of contacts and network for our underclassmen.”

Clarke is still planning to hold its signing day at the end of May, with a video tribute to seniors who will continue their athletic careers in college. “It doesn’t replace having a season, but it’s still a good way to honor them,” Abruscato said, adding, “As disappointing as this is — and it is — the majority of us have our health, and we don’t take that for granted.”