The wide-ranging impact left by last Friday’s shutdown of Pennsylvania schools for at least 10 days due to concerns about the potential spread of coronavirus is one that’s still being felt across the area.

That’s especially true in the sports world, as the nervous energy that typically accompanies the start of a new season has been replaced by the fear that it might be over before it had the chance to truly begin.

“It really kind of honestly blindsided us,” said Pleasant Valley girls lacrosse coach Toni Bush. “We were having our scrimmage (last) Friday up until 1:30 in the afternoon; we were all geared up and ready to play that night, and then North Pocono canceled … so we held practice. We thought we were going to be fine to hold practice, and then during practice we got word that we had to cut practice.”

It was a similar situation for Northern Lehigh’s Kate Farber, who is getting ready to begin her second season in charge of the softball program.

“We had originally thought at the beginning of the day that we were going to scrimmage Panther Valley,” said Farber, whose team captured the District 11 Class 2A title and made a run to the state quarterfinals a year ago. “We were ready to go, and ready to rock. The sun came out, it was beautiful, and we thought we could get the field ready to go.

“It turned out that the field wasn’t going to be playable, but we were still going to have practice ... on our way to practice is when we found out that the schools were going to be closing for two weeks. We went from going to get this ready to ... kind of pretending like it didn’t exist and using softball as our safe haven away from the situation, to an extreme low - finding out that we weren’t going to see each other for quite some time.”

Even in times of unprecedented uncertainty, coaches have remained hopeful – and asked their athletes to do the same.

“The girls kind of took control because I pretty much said to them, this is it for two weeks,” said Bush. “I told them that we were going to be optimistic about this, and that they needed to keep themselves in shape and remember that this season is not over.

“I don’t think that anybody is willing to accept the possibility that it could be canceled altogether. We are all trying to stay focused on the fact that the months and months of preparing for this season was not for nothing.”

Though unlike any circumstances they’ve experienced before, the ability to prepare for whatever lies ahead is something that has offered a sense of reassurance for many athletes.

“The team has been really good amongst themselves. The captains have really tried to keep everybody going, communicating, since I really can’t be working with them,” said Bush. “They’re trying to do what they can to stay in shape. I’m sending out a daily workout for the team ... so they can keep up with their strength and conditioning and little bits of stick work. The girls want to be practicing … I think they just want to feel like they have some level of control over this.”

But coaches know they need to be cognizant of how their athletes are doing off the field, too.

“The biggest priority is be safe from a physical, as well as emotional standpoint and well-being,” said Jim Thorpe track and field head coach Frank Miller. “The school system and sports, for a lot of these kids, is their daily life. And without that in place, there’s a concern from the adult standpoint of, ‘How is the mental well-being of these kids holding up in this uncertain time?’”

While they can’t see each other every day, Miller has urged his athletes to stay in touch with one another during this period of social distancing - a practice they were likely already pretty good at.

“The nice part about our main means of communication today is that I’ll see some high schoolers texting someone even if they’re standing five feet away from them,” Miller joked. “So they’ve learned to communicate in a socially isolated means, essentially.

“I told them to make sure they keep talking to each other, they reach out if they need to talk. So I stressed to them, don’t hold back. If you have questions, if you have uncertainties, make sure you keep in contact with your friends, your family members, your coaches, your teachers that you trust. We might not have the answers, but we can help you navigate these uncertain times that we’re currently facing.”

While the potential loss of playing time - or an entire season - hurts for each member of the program, it’s especially difficult for the upperclassmen who might be missing out on their final opportunity to enjoy the experience.

“I try to text them; I talk with them everyday - especially the seniors - just trying to keep their spirits up,” said Marian baseball coach Tony Radocha. “And I tell them to pray, to pray that a two-week hiatus is all it is. The biggest concern is that we don’t know. We’re hoping and waiting, and this could be done in two weeks; this could be done in a month; this could go into the summer, that this is the new norm.

“I feel bad that these kids are going to possibly miss out on their senior seasons. But it’s not just that; they’re missing their friends, their graduation, and their prom. I understand why, but it’s still a double-edged sword. You understand why they’re doing it, but your heart breaks for them that a right of passage is being taken from them, and it’s not their fault. You just have to trust the people in charge are making the right decisions for everybody involved.”

In addition to staying in touch with his players, Radocha has also stayed in contact with his peers during this difficult period.

“Right now, we’re all hurting and we’re just trying to find ways to heal together,” he said.

Radocha hopes that all options are considered before a final decision is made on what happens with the rest of this season.

“I hope it’s not a black and white decision, because there is a lot of gray area with this,” he said. “I’ve sat down and talked with so many people just giving ideas, and suggestions. If we take a little bit of everything, whether it be a shortened season, or remodeling the schedule where we have doubleheaders somewhere just so we can get as many games as we can, even if we have to be pushed into June, or we can play into July, give the kids the option.

“Somebody even suggested, as crazy as I think it is, I think it deserves a conversation, of giving these high school seniors an option to come back and repeat their senior year.”

It remains to be seen what happens moving forward. But one thing is clear, sports is part of the fabric of each and every one of these communities, something that will persist long after the final out is called or whistle is blown.

“I have been in touch with them a few times,” Farber said. “I have seven seniors, so this is a big deal. It’s a majority of my team. I just touched base with them and asked them for their opinion on whether or not they wanted to place our spirit wear order, and some of their responses were really inspiring as young adults. They responded and said, ‘Coach, we want to be able to have these items to cherish and to hold on to for years to come, whether we play again together or not.’

“And that was really inspiring from a group of young adults. And my relationship with them is about more than softball. It’s not just about wins and losses, and what they’re going to produce for me on the softball field. It’s more about them becoming better young women, and obviously to be successful in their future.”