Andy Scheidler
sports@thefranklinpress.com
With schools closed until May 15, the spring sports season in North Carolina is in serious jeopardy.
The NCHSAA originally listed April 6 as the first possible date to resume sports. Commissioner Que Tucker announced Monday interscholastic athletics would be suspended until at least May 18.
Before the new deadline was announced, Franklin soccer coach Dwight Long remained optimistic the season would eventually resume.
“It’s a dream I’m holding on to,” Long said.
College conferences, such as the Southern Conference, have already canceled their spring sports seasons.
Long hopes that doesn’t happen at the high school level.
“With colleges, you can give players an extra year of athletic eligibility,” he said. “With high school, that’s it. It’s here and then it’s gone. We’ve got three seniors that have really worked hard for what they have. It’s just gone. That’s the most heartbreaking thing.”
Chloee Lane, Kaci McMahan and Chela Green are Franklin’s three seniors.
Lane is a three-time all-region and two-time all-conference selection. She’s been a huge part of Franklin’s team, Long said.
McMahan has been a dedicated worker, Long said.
“She’s been doing everything she can to learn and to become better,” he said. “She’s losing her opportunity.”
Green transferred to Franklin from Highlands. She’s worked really hard and fits in great with the team, Long said.
“She was gonna be in the starting lineup rather frequently and a major impact player,” he said. “She’s lost that opportunity. That’s the part that makes me the most sad, is what those seniors are losing.”
Long also lamented the learning and growth process for the younger players.
The roster consists of:
• Four juniors: Brandy Dills, Blanca Melendez, Maetzin Sanchez-Lopez and Ally Roots
• Five sophomores: Holly Bates, Megan Davis, Joselyn Hernandez, Kaitlyn Riddle and
Carmen Sgro
• Six freshmen: Claudia Zalapa-Flores, Jazmin Corona, Madalynn Brannon, Jasmin Valencia-Lopez, Hayden Marshall, Cynthia Rios-Ruiz
“I had a lot of freshmen and underclassmen surrounded around these players that are learning,” Long said. “They’re gonna lose that opportunity to learn from really skilled players that are gonna be moving on next year. It’s tough all around for everybody. But we have to do what we have to do.”
‘Amazing game’
Franklin won all three games it played before the NCHSAA sanction took effect.
The Panthers were able to play a final game before the deadline of 11:59 p.m. March 13, when they traveled to North Buncombe that evening.
Long wanted to play the game because of the possibility the season might not resume on April 6.
“In the back of my mind, I was thinking this might be a little bit longer than three weeks,” he said.
Long read a motivation social media post from FHS athletic director Blair King to the girls on the bus ride to North Buncombe. It featured a message about how to savor every moment and play with passion.
“When I read it, some girls were tearing up,” Long said. “It felt like a senior night almost. The bus ride was really calm and quiet, but there was some giggling. That’s how it is with our team: we work them hard but you hear giggling the entire time. I love it because they’re having fun.”
North Buncombe was playing its last home game of the season because of getting its turf field replaced. So the Black Hawks treated it as a senior night.
The teams battled through a scoreless first half. The Panthers had chances to score, but some questionable calls didn’t go their way.
Long wasn’t concerned because the Panthers were controlling possession so well.
With less than seven minutes left in the game, Sanchez sent a pass from midfield and made another pass later in the play. Ultimately, Green found Dills on the far side of the goal.
“She shot that ball so hard that if the keeper did get a hand on it she wasn’t going to stop it,” Long said. “Beautiful finish by Brandy.”
The Panthers won 1-0. They also beat Hayesville 6-0 and Murphy 5-1 in games played the first week of March.
Goalkeeper Holly Bates made eight saves at North Buncombe. She had been struggling with her punts, Long said, but performed wonderfully against the Black Hawks.
“She’s got an arm on her, too,” Long said. “One girl was open and it looked like John Elway throwing a soccer ball down the field.”
Everybody had a great night, Long said, which made it hard to select a player of the game.
Although Dills scored the game-winning goal, Long opted to give Lane POG honors. She guided the defense, provided multiple goal-scoring opportunities and rallied the team at halftime.
“It was an amazing game, it was a fun game,” Long said. “We did exactly what we’re coached to do. Those girls had a huge night.”
After the players celebrated postgame, they thanked the fans for their support. While many took pictures with family and friends, Long got some of the JV players together and orchestrated pouring the Gatorade jug of water on Long and Dills, along with other girls sitting nearby.
The team then went to a restaurant and enjoyed a meal together, soaking up being together for possibly the final time this spring.
“Hopefully we can get this back on, but the way everything is looking right now it’s a sad situation,” Long said.
“I really do hope we get back and play, because this is a good team of girls.”