Huron County View

Return of sports looks a bit different

Athletes and coaches adjust to protocols



EPBP senior basketball player Sawyer Kozfkay (1) is introduced prior to a recent game with Bad Axe. Kozfkay said he was thankful for the return of basketball. (Photo by Paul P. Adams)

EPBP senior basketball player Sawyer Kozfkay (1) is introduced prior to a recent game with Bad Axe. Kozfkay said he was thankful for the return of basketball. (Photo by Paul P. Adams)

HURON COUNTY – For months, athletes around Huron County and the State of Michigan waited with bated breath on if they would be allowed to have a winter sports season.

On Feb. 4, the news came that contact sports would be allowed to play their seasons.

Since then, it’s been a whirlwind to get those sports off the ground.

COVID-19 protocols have become a way of life.

For basketball players, that means wearing face coverings at all times, while wrestlers must pass rapid COVID tests to participate (no masks required).

It’s not ideal, but the athletes and coaches are adjusting.

January was a dark month for winter sports, as the start date got pushed back twice, nearly extinguishing the fading flicker of hope.

“It really got to the point, where the kids were starting to think it wasn’t going to happen,” said Bad Axe boys basketball coach Mark Krug. “The first week in February, we just practiced three days, because I didn’t want them burned out.”

Bad Axe senior wrestler Cody Bailey reacts after winning a match during his team’s first action of the season, last week, in Cass City. (Photo Courtesy of Luann Parks)

Bad Axe senior wrestler Cody Bailey reacts after winning a match during his team’s first action of the season, last week, in Cass City. (Photo Courtesy of Luann Parks)

Added Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port boys basketball coach Bill McLellan Jr.: “The MHSAA kept saying it was going to try, so we had to hang on to that. There were definitely doubts in our heads. Once we found out we could play, there was a different feeling in practice.”

For EPBP senior Sawyer Kozfkay, basketball is his favorite sport.

Waiting for the decision on the season was tough on him and his teammates.

“All we could do was just hope,” said Kozfkay. “We practiced for months without knowing if we were going to have a season or not, but we just kept hoping. We stuck with it and got rewarded with a season.”

Wrestling was slated to begin in early December. Wrestlers could condition, but physical contact was not allowed until Feb. 8.

“It was getting to the point where kids were starting to get discouraged and losing hope that we were even going to have a season,” said Bad Axe coach Adam Hollingsworth.

On Feb. 4, when the announcement there was going to be a season took place, Kozfkay could barely contain his excitement.

“When I heard the season was back on, I was ecstatic – it’s so crazy,” he said. “I didn’t even know how to handle it; I couldn’t sleep for a couple of nights. I wanted to play so bad and I think everyone on our team wanted to play so bad.”

Added Bad Axe senior wrestler Clark Wehner: “When we didn’t know we were going to have a season, it was tough. You’re practicing, but you’re not sure if you’re going to get to wrestle again. The second we got the word we could have contact, coach Hollingsworth was right on it and we were ready to go.”

At Bad Axe, Krug did his best to keep practices fresh and engaging, despite contact being banned.

“What we tried to do with the non-contact drills was make everything competitive,” he said. “At least when they were coming in, they were having some form of competition. I think that kept them up a little bit.”

Added Krug: “It was nice the news came. I am so happy for all the kids, not just mine, but every boy and girl who gets to play basketball.”

Hollingsworth did the best he could to keep his wrestlers ready for the season. But without physical contact, there was only so much he could do.

Bad Axe got its first action of the season in last week, winning three matches, with only four days of physical contact allowed.

“When we got to wrestle, it was apparent that they weren’t ready for it,” Hollingsworth said. “We had four days of contact practice and we could see it in every match, that everyone was gassed after the first period. You can’t prepare for that kind of intensity in a short amount of time. You can be in peak physical condition, but you get out there on the mat and you’re going 100% against another wrestler, you get tired so fast.”

He added: “To try and do that in four days, it was a tough ask. I was worried about that going in. They haven’t been in full contact long enough. You wouldn’t ask football players to have four days of practice before their first game.”

Wehner and his teammates did their best to adjust to the shortened prep time.

“We had two weeks of non-contact practice and that felt like it took months,” he said. “To finally get that word, it was chaotic leading up to Friday. I was ready to go, but I was a little nervous. I waited so long, so it was nerves and excitement.”

Wrestlers are not required to wear face coverings during matches but must take rapid COVID tests prior to competition.

“We watched all the videos and followed all the procedures,” Hollingsworth said. “I think it went pretty smooth. That will get quicker as we go on. It was pretty straight forward and fairly easy to do. We got the results in about 10 minutes.”

Wehner described the process.

“It took 15 minutes in and out, just a couple nose swirls, and we were ready to go. It’s worth it 100%,” he said.

The return of basketball has looked different – spectators are limited and socially distanced.

Everyone is required to wear a face covering – the coaches, players and game officials, included.

According to Kozfkay, that’s been the biggest adjustment.

“It’s a lot harder play in a mask, it cuts off the airflow a little bit more,” he said. “We just have to get used to it, that’s all we can do.”

Krug finds it a little harder to communicate with his players through the face covering but knows it’s better than the alternative of not playing.

“I have explained to them that we need to follow the mask mandate,” he said. “We don’t want the season cut short now, that would be crushing.”

The Greater Thumb Conference is attempting to play 13-15 games in a six-week window.

Kozfkay plans on cherishing every one of them.

“I’m so grateful that we have a season, I love it so much,” he said.