Lauren Addy might very well have played her final high school tennis match.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Mississippi High School Activities Association announced Monday its decision to suspend all athletic events through March 29, and Governor Tate Reeves announced Thursday morning that all public schools will be closed until April 17. With the number of coronavirus cases growing in the state, and the cancellation of spring sports for both four-year colleges and junior colleges across the country, local teams have been left to wonder when, if at all, they might be able to play again. 

Addy is the lone senior on the Newton County tennis team and most recently took the court for the Cougars’ team match last Saturday, two days before the MHSAA announced its suspension. Her coach, Chad Bond, said his players are in a strange situation.  

“It’s very possible she played her last match Saturday and didn’t know it,” Bond said of Addy. “For a lot of my kids, tennis is what they do in the spring. That becomes one of the top two or three things on their agenda. I’m sure everybody’s just in limbo wondering what’s going to happen, what the future holds.”

Newton County has been to 12 of the last 14 state title matches, including last year’s, but might not have the chance to add to that count in 2020. The Cougars have also battled New Albany in the championship for six straight seasons, losing in their last bout, but with the MHSAA’s recent realignment moving Newton County to Class 4A North instead of South, the two would meet before the final. Despite the change, Bond said his squad wants another shot at the Bulldogs.

“It should be a moot point now,” he said. “But my kids would be really disappointed if they didn’t get back to the finals. We were looking forward to playing New Albany again.”

Bond added he expects his players will be practicing on their own on private courts as their season remains on hold. 

West Lauderdale head baseball coach Jason Smith said several of his players have their own batting cages, and family members can help them train as well, but being out of routine as a team will have negative effects. 

“I know that our players will do as much as they can as far as hitting on their own and throwing on their own, but you still haven’t practiced in over a month, and there’s still that game shape that you’re going to need to get back in it,” Smith said. “So I know it’s going to be a difficult process for everybody involved. It’s definitely unchartered territory, and we’ll just have to see how it goes.”

Smith said his squad was starting to gain momentum on the field and as a team before the suspension came. The Knights were 9-2 through the first three weeks of the year coming off a trip to the Class 4A semifinals in 2019. The freeze on the season, with the possibility of the MHSAA eliminating the spring sports calendar for the remainder of the school year and the Knights not getting the opportunity to return to the state semifinals and compete for a title, is particularly painful for West’s seniors.  

“We made a really good run last year and had some unknowns coming back for this season. The goal is always to win a state championship at West Lauderdale, and based off how we played in the first 11 games, I thought, or think, we have a really good chance of doing that,” Smith said. “I’ve been really proud of the players, and especially the senior leadership and some of the seniors who have finally gotten a chance to start a season, and I feel bad for them with the possibility of the season being cut short.”

Smith said he’s doubtful he’ll be able to get his team back on the diamond in the coming months, but hasn’t given up faith. 

“I am hopeful that if we do get the chance that we just have an opportunity to go and play for these seniors,” he said. “Let them have a few more games and see what happens.”