Dunking on Covid--JV Boys' and Girls' Basketball Season Summary
By Ethan Ellis--Eagle Staff Writer
After a season filled with postponements and cancellations, the JV Basketball season for both the Franklin County boys and girls squads has come to an end.
“We had to stop practices and miss games two times this year,” said JV Boys' Basketball Coach Tony Gill.
Covid wreaked havoc on the basketball schedules and both teams saw vast differences in the season because of it. In total, the men's team played seven games while the women’s team only played three.
“We would play a game and then practice a few days, and then boom we are out again,” recalled Gill.
Covid also majorly affected practices. At the beginning of the school year the Virginia High School League, the governing body for all high school sports in Virginia, put out specific guidelines in accordance with the Center for Disease Control. In addition to shortening all seasons, they also affected practice schedules and how team sports like basketball were able to practice.
“It was a struggle making sure that we kept our distance and didn't share any equipment. With it being a team sport I would say that was the most difficult part about dealing with Covid,” said JV Girls' Basketball Coach Joshua Cox.
Another aspect of the season that was killed off by Covid was the ability for games to host fans, an aspect that is widely seen in sports as an advantage to the home team during games.
“The atmosphere for games and players were very different. With no fans in the stands it was too quiet,” recalled Athletic Directory Crystal Worley.
The men’s and women’s teams both had one win on the season with the men’s win coming in a 54-48 score against Patrick Henry. The women’s lone win came in a 30-23 score over Lord Botetourt. At the end of the season the men finished with a 1-6 record and the women with a 1-2 record. Overall though, the coaches seemed to be pretty satisfied with their team’s effort.
“When we did practice and play the boys gave it their best. As a coach that is all you can ask for,” said Gill.
Cox seemed to agree as well.
“Our girls did an amazing job following all of the guidelines and we used that time to work on individual skills. In the end we were still able to see progress for all of our players," she concluded.