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MHSAA cancels winter sports championships, spring seasons

Calumet's Lincoln Beiring (3) handles the puck as teammate Nick Djerf (15) tries to fend off Houghton's Brandon Norkol (12) during the MHSAA Division 3 Region 17 championship on Wednesday, March 4, 2020, in Houghton, Mich. (Adam Niemi/The Daily Mining Gazette)

The Michigan High School Athletic Association canceled the winter sports championships and spring sports seasons.

The MHSAA made the announcement Friday afternoon, saying the decision was made because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The decision follows Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer’s decision on Thursday for a state of disaster directive closing school buildings for the remainder of the school year to help limit the spread of the coronavirus.

“We are heartbroken to not be able to provide these opportunities for Michigan’s student-athletes, and especially seniors. We continue to hear from dozens asking us to hold out hope. But safety always must come first, and Governor Whitmer is making courageous decisions to safeguard the people of our state,” MHSAA executive director Mark Uyl said. “We understand as much as anyone how much school sports mean to athletes and their communities. We had ideas and hopes for finishing winter and spring and helping bring some sort of normalcy after this long break. But this is the correct decision, and we will play our part in bringing schools and communities together again when the time is right. 

“For now, we cannot state strongly enough that all students, staffs and others follow the guidelines established to slow the spread of this virus–we all must do our part.”

It’s the first school year without MHSAA finals in multiple sports since 1942-43 because of World War II.

The MHSAA suspended the girls and boys basketball, gymnastics, ice hockey, and swimming and diving tournaments because of the outbreak. All activity, including spring sports, was halted on March 13.

The decision officially ends state championship hopes for local teams including Calumet hockey, Dollar Bay, Chassell, Ewen-Trout Creek and Calumet boys basketball, Baraga and L’Anse girls basketball.

The Copper Kings hockey team was on the eve of a state semifinal game against Detroit Country Day when the MHSAA initially stopped winter sports championships on March 12. It’ll go down in the history books as a lost opportunity for the Copper Kings’ state championship hopes.

“Obviously we’re disappointed. We had a pretty good idea that that was what was going to happen, but you still keep holding out some sort of hope that they were able to do something,” Calumet head coach Dan Giachino said. “We were hoping they could make tentative plans.”

Giachino said part of the experience for his team, especially his 10 seniors, will be remembering the successful season up to that point.

“I think we had a great season. Certainly happy with how the entire season progressed,” Giachino said. “At the end of the day, it goes to show that you cannot take anything for granted. Everything happens for a reason. Hopefully at some point we find the positives in this whole thing and allow our kids to be able to move on. Be able to get past it.

“Especially at the point we were at. It’s one thing if it happens during the regular season or whatnot, but when you’re down to the semifinals and you only get, as a coach and as a program and as a player, you only get so many of those opportunities to win something,” Giachino added. “To have that happen, of course that’s something you’re never going to forget. Twenty years from now we’ll be talking about that time we got to Plymouth and had to turn around and go home. That’ll be the disappointing part of it. From a different standpoint, this was probably the most fun I’ve had in a season. It was a great group of kids and a fun season all around.”

No champions will be awarded for winter sports. District and regional championships will stand, the MHSAA said.

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