TEMPE, Ariz. — Winter high school sports are now on hold. The Arizona Interscholastic Association made the decision just as the season was about to start. T
he news came with difficulty for basketball, wrestling and soccer teams.
The boys on the Corona Del Sol soccer team are taking their frustrations to the field. For the seniors on the team, it means they will miss out on their last season.
“I’ve been looking forward to this for a while and it was just taken away from us,” says senior Reyes Carbajan.
The AIA announced that it will cancel all winter sports “due to the continued presence of COVID-19 and having the nation’s highest rate of coronavirus hospitalizations.”
That means no practice, games, or new tape for college recruiters. Scholarships are at stake.
“I had colleges that I had been talking to and they were going to come to college games, and I don’t get that this year,” says senior Moises Escobedo.
Elece Maguire has two sons on the team. She says after fall sports were allowed with crowds, it shows a double standard.
“It’s very unfair to them….We don’t have cheerleaders, we don’t have a band, we have a lower amount of players on the team,” says Maguire.
Private club sports will still go on, but membership isn’t free, leaving some of the players without anyone to play for.
“We’ve improved over the years, we’ve worked hard, and to end like this is unfair,” says senior Sean Anjadi.