WARSAW, Mo. — Warsaw’s first few games were away then they had to move their first home game to Versailles due to their new track being put in. After that COVID-19 caused three other games to get cancelled.
“Sometimes it is rough doing all the work and then getting cancelled and rescheduled and cancelled,” Warsaw senior Zach Sanders said, “and can’t do anything about it.”
And with each cancellation Coach Ryan Boyer had to deliver the bad news.
“As it has gone on and we talk to the kids,” Boyer said, “they said ‘we hold our breath’ and even parents with our team apps, that alert goes off and we are hoping it is just an update on what is going on this week. But they said I hate to even open it or look at it.”
“We would prepare for that game,” Justin Martin, “then out of the blue it would cancel, so we have to switch gears and try to find another opponent to play.”
The Wildcats haven’t played a game in nearly a month which is tough on the players mentally and physically.
“We had to be kind of creative with how we did our practices to keep them engaged but not burn them out,” Boyer said.
“Trying to just get people to keep coming and practicing hard and going hard,” Martin said.
But the players especially the seniors have been trying to make the best of it.
“I kind of enjoyed riding the bus and hanging out with my buddies on the way to the games,” Timothy Burkhart said, “because that is what it is all about.”
And they are hoping to savor one last home game under the Friday Night Lights.
“It is a big deal, homecoming, senior night, everybody will be watching,” Sharp said. “Pressure is on.”
“Everything in the world,” Burkhart said. “I absolutely love playing here and football is everything to me.”
“Happy that you still get to have a home game and that you still get to pad up and go out there with your boys,” Martin said.
