Coronavirus: OHSAA postpones all winter sport tournaments

COLUMBUS — The Ohio High School Athletic Association announced Thursday that all postseason sport tournaments have been indefinitely postponed amid the coronavirus outbreak.

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The Carroll girls basketball team was on the court warming up to get ready for the Division II State Semi-Final game when they were told to clear the floor. Around 1pm, when the Carroll game was scheduled to start, the OHSAA announced it is postponing the tournaments for boys and girls basketball, ice hockey, and wrestling.

Carroll has 3 seniors on its roster, Jill Roberts, Allie Stefanek, and Julia Keller. They averaged 1.3, 7.1, and 13.2 points per game respectively. If the team does not play again it will end the season with a record of 23-5.

The announcement coming minutes before the game was supposed to start made it even harder on the Carroll players who were looking forward to making a second straight appearance in the state’s final four.

"Well there was a lot of tears in the locker room a lot of disappointment,” Grosselin said.

OHSAA Executive Director Jerry Snodgrass said when he met with athletic directors and coaches they all understood the difficult decision even though they were very disappointed.

"I think that speaks volumes for our schools on the partnerships that we ask and from our coaches and our administrators to know that we're doing what's best for kids,” Snodgrass said. “We're not doing this for any other reason than what's best for kids, communities and the nation's health right now."

Snodgrass said he knows the tournament being canceled is on the table but as of Thursday he said he’s hopeful that it’s only a postponement.

He said the OHSAA is already looking at spring tournaments and how those may be affected as well.

Snodgrass added the organization is a non-profit and 80 percent of its revenue comes from ticket sales.

He estimated the regional and state tournaments generate well over $1 million dollars in revenue for the organization.

However his primary focus isn’t on the money but rather the impact this postponement and possible cancelation has on the kids that prepared for these games.

The OHSAA is the latest sports organization to cancel sporting events amid the worldwide virus pandemic.

Several college basketball conferences, including the Atlantic 10, Big 10 and others all cancelled their conference tournaments. The NBA and MLS have also announced their seasons are suspended during the outbreak.