COVID-19 has impacted life in some way for every student at Warren Hills and student athletes are no exception. After a late start to a season that no one was sure would even begin,  fall sports got underway with new rules and regulations, with the exception of volleyball, whose season had to be postponed until spring.  

Every week there was new information coming out and the Warren Hills Athletic Department had to be prepared for the worst. 

“We followed the guidelines given to us,” said Warren Hills Athletic Director Michael Jones. “Then with the information we were given, we created a plan that fit best with our school.”

The instructions require  athletes and coaches who are not on the field participating in athletic training to wear a mask. This instruction. and many others, came as no surprise to most athletes 

“I expected masks to have to be worn just like they are at school,” said quarterback junior Josh Casella. “My teammates and I are pretty much willing to follow any procedure as long as we can keep playing and have a season.”

Most student athletes did not expect to have a season, so just being able to play came as a surprise. 

“At the time, I felt like nothing was guaranteed,” said  Girls Soccer forward, junior Madelyn Morgan. “I just tried to stay hopeful that there would be a season.”

Every sport was at risk from not being able to take place, no matter what kind of human contact it required.

“In Cross Country, it’s easier to social distance compared to other sports,” said junior Preston Roth. “It’s still a different season for us.”

Amid all the chaos, Warren Hills athletics still won the game against COVID.

“We as a district have done an excellent job with preparing our coaches and athletes with the proper protocol for activities on and off the field,” said  Boys Soccer Coach Zachary Fisher. “Obviously, with a situation like this, the protocol needs to be malleable to adapt to the changing environment of the pandemic”