Trib HSSN Top 20 Stories of 2020: Winter sports start, then quickly stop
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Monday, December 28, 2020 | 8:23 PM
Fox Chapel’s Eli Yofan (top) and Erik Wilson battle Hampton’s Liam Mignogna for a loose ball during their game on Friday, Dec. 11, 2020, at Fox Chapel.
The most unique year in our lifetime is coming to an end. With so many mass starts and stops, highs and lows, just about all walks of life were affected by the coronavirus in 2020.
High school sports were no different. The first two and a half months of the year were carefree and business as usual. Then the final nine and a half months were greatly affected by the pandemic, whether scholastic contests were played or not.
Trib HSSN will close out the year with a daily countdown and a look back at the top 20 WPIAL stories from the year 2020.
No. 6 — One and Done
Excitement along with a big sigh of relief were the emotions felt after the PIAA crowned six football champions in Hershey on Thanksgiving weekend.
The end of a unique and shortened high school football season marked the first time since the inception of the state football playoffs in 1988 that there would be a clear break for all schools in Pennsylvania between fall sports and winter sports.
That break was slated to be nearly two weeks from the final state football title game Nov. 28 until the start of winter sports 13 days later Dec. 11.
While some schools were delaying the start of winter sports until later in December or into January, many WPIAL teams were set to tip off on the second Friday of December.
However, a day before winter sports was set to begin across Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf announced the shutdown of all interscholastic and youth sports until Jan. 4.
But that shutdown didn’t go into effect until Saturday, Dec. 12, so some of the games scheduled for opening night went on as scheduled.
The atmosphere was strange for athletes, coaches, officials and the few spectators allowed to watch those games knowing that this would be the first game in a new season, but the last game for nearly four weeks.
As the calendar is a few days from changing to 2021, PIAA officials are still hopeful the delay will not be extended and the 2021 winter sports season that will include one day from 2020, will be able to resume.
No. 7 — T.J. All the Way…Again
No. 10 – West A Senior Drafted
No. 12 – Emotional Championship
No. 14 – The Bucs Aren’t Stopping Here
No. 16 – An Overdue Golden Storm
No. 17 – Lots of Mercy for Central Valley Foes
No. 20 – Golden Knights of the Tennis Court
More Basketball
• 23 WPIAL players picked to 2024 all-state boys basketball team, including 2 players of the year• Hampton basketball readies for rare coaching search
• Hall of fame basketball coach Joe Lafko steps down at Hampton
• Corey Dotchin steps down as Highlands boys basketball coach
• PIAA taking bids to host basketball championships
