“We have unfinished business to take care of,” said Warren senior Kelsey Stuart.

On Dec. 10, Governor Tom Wolf announced temporary COVID-19 guidelines, including canceling all after-school activities, including sports, for at least three weeks.

High school athletes, especially seniors, agreed that any season is better than none.

Joe Mack, a senior on the Youngsville boys basketball team, said the shutdown is going to be tough to handle individually and for the team.

“That is completely up to us as a team on how we deal with this adversity,” Mack said. “As a group, we must commit to keep learning and keep our bodies conditioned in these next few weeks.”

Mack is encouraging his team and boosting morale, so his teammates can come back ready to do their best. Coming off one of the best seasons in Youngsville history as juniors, this strong senior group is looking to make their last run an excellent one.

Stuart said the three-week period will be a test, but she is confident in her Warren girls basketball team’s determination to come back and compete well as a “family.”

The Dragons came up with a plan to stay in “basketball shape,” as head coach Lisa Lavan likes to say, and to help each other stay sane. Stuart said, each day the plan includes a way to improve, whether it be physically or mentally.

The athletes have workout buddies who check in with each other as well.

The Dragons, Stuart said, seemed to have all the major questions answered, except one: “Am I going to be able to play my last year as a Warren Lady Dragon? Will I be able to play with Teagan (Paris), Emma (Ruhlman), and Riley (Childress), the people that have been there with me since the very beginning?”

She has been watching the Warren program since she was a little girl, and has always idolized the alumni. Now, on the verge of becoming one, Stuart wants to finish her high school career the right way, especially after missing time last year with an ankle injury.

Lilee Renninger of the Eisenhower girls basketball team, said, “I don’t think the shutdown will affect the morale of our team; everyone is in good spirits.”

Renninger isn’t convinced there will be a season at all, even after the three-week shutdown.

The Lady Knights are working on staying in shape and on their mental game. The whole team is more than excited to get back on the court, even if there is some skepticism.

Although all are from different schools, all winter sports teams and athletes are in this together. Stuart said it best, “We are not going down without a fight.”

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Kenzie Olewine is a Youngsville High School sophomore honors student and member of the girls basketball team.