Despite the uncertainties surrounding the fall season of high school sports, student-athletes at West Chester East are still hoping for the best, writes Phil Anastasia for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“I’m pretty optimistic,” said senior quarterback Ryan Duell. “We’re supposed to start practice Sept. 8, and I’m preparing like that’s the day when we’re going to start.”

The state’s departments of health and education issued a joint recommendation on Aug. 6 that school-sponsored and youth sports should be put on hold at least until the end of the year. However, it emphasized that this guidance was not an order and that the decision should be made by individual school districts.

This was reiterated in a follow-up meeting between the PIAA and Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration.

While school districts are busy deliberating what to do, students are waiting and hoping for the best.

“It’s something we talk about daily,” said Duell. “This was our year. Our friends were going to be in the front row of the student section. We’re going to be the oldest group in the school. We want to live up to that moment.”

Read more about the status of high school sports in the fall in The Philadelphia Inquirer here.

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