One of the many new protective mitigation efforts announced by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday was that all sports at K-12 public schools, nonpublic schools, private schools and club, travel, recreational, intermural, and intramural sports are paused.

The news came as many teams across the state were prepared to begin the winter sports season later today.

“Today I am announcing additional, temporary COVID-19 protective mitigation measures in the commonwealth,” Wolf said during his Thursday news conference. “With these measures in place, we hope to accomplish three goals: First, stop the devastating spread of COVID-19 in the commonwealth. Second, keep our hospitals and health care workers from becoming overwhelmed. And third, help Pennsylvanians get through the holiday season - and closer to a widely available vaccine - as safely as possible. This is a bridge to a better future in Pennsylvania.”

The new, limited-time mitigation orders take effect at 12:01 a.m. Dec. 12, and remain in effect until 8 a.m. Jan. 4, 2021.

The Pennsylvania Principals Association also recommended a delay to the start of the winter sports season.

In a news release the PPA said, “The surge in cases among school-age children increases the risk that asymptomatic participants will spread the virus at a game or practice, in the locker room, while traveling to and from events, or at team meals, parties or other gatherings.”

Nearly 24 hours earlier, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association announced it would proceed with the season as planned as long as schools were following COVID-19 protocols and guidelines. Following the governor’s announcement, the PIAA scheduled a special meeting this morning and was expected to release a comment on the matter later today.

While the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and the Colonial League had already voted to delay the start of their seasons until January, the Schuylkill League was on track to open tonight.

Lehighton Director of Student Services and Facilities Planning and Schuylkill League Football Chair Kyle Spotts is one of many who went from preparing for the start of the season to trying to get ready for what comes next.

“Our league is planning a meeting as soon as (today), if not then Monday, to discuss altering the schedules to fit the accommodations,” said Spotts. “Obviously, there will be some time frame of practice needs before competitions can start. So even though Jan. 4 is the start date, we won’t have competitions starting that day. With the new PIAA guidelines, if it’s 14 or more days off for COVID, you need four practices - so it looks like the earliest competitions could start would be Jan. 9. Whether that happens or not is yet to be seen.

“But it’s unfortunate, the timing of everything. We weren’t slated to open Friday, but our girls’ basketball team was slated to open on Saturday. For some schools to have that taken away from them the day before, I can imagine that’s frustrating.”

While Lehighton was not set to start tonight, many schools were.

Tamaqua - which has a returning state medalist in senior Nate Wickersham - was supposed to open its wrestling season tonight against Hamburg, but the match has been canceled.

Blue Raider head coach Jim McCabe has been measured, yet steadfast, in his approach to the current situation and the circumstances surrounding it.

“I preach to everyone, my family, my students, my wrestlers, that the only thing you can control is the way you react to a situation,” said McCabe. “There’s nothing we can do with the three-week shutdown. There’s no reason to get upset because it’s not going to do anybody any good.

“The kids are going to have to do some things on their own in these three weeks. I’m starting to brainstorm where, through our school’s Google Classroom, I could have the kids log in at a certain time during the day and we’ll exercise from our house, at least to keep them active with something.”

The stoppage will put the onus on athletes to remain committed, and coaches to get creative.

It also made maximizing the time teams had together in the preseason and offseason crucial.

“The one thing we did know coming into the season was that we need to get ready, we need to prepare, have faith that there’s going to be some type of season and know that it’s going to be different,” said Panther Valley boys’ basketball coach Pat Crampsie. “We don’t know how different it’s going to be, but whatever comes up, we have to roll with it. And that’s the approach that we’ve taken.

“There are certain things that are out of our control, so our focus has been to do what we can do - whether it’s in person or virtually. The message to our players has been to make sure you can tell yourself you did everything you could to get ready for when the time comes and we can play.”

The Panthers, who are coming off a district title, took advantage of the fall months together once PIAA sports resumed after playing it safe in the summer, getting ready for the run-up to the season.

“It felt like it was the time to get back at it,” said Crampsie. “We feel fortunate that we had September and October that were very productive for us. The biggest part of that production was actually forming relationships, because we have a really new crew.

“We’re now at the point where there’s a lot of trust all around where everybody has faith and confidence that their teammates and that their coaches are going to do what they can do to keep themselves ready.”

Playing the waiting game was something many teams were already prepared for across the area, with start dates varying for many programs.

Several schools suspended athletic activities at the end of the day Thursday ahead of the stoppage.

Marian Athletic Director Pete Sanfilippo noted that the stoppage includes teams that are in-season, as well as those participating in voluntary offseason workouts.

Marian is still providing in-person education five days a week, with an option to go virtual.

“For academics, we’re going to continue to follow our safety guidelines and protocols and continue to be in person for the next couple of weeks before we go on our Christmas break,” said Sanfilippo. “For athletics, we already had a shortened schedule, cut down from 22 (basketball games) to 16. So we were going to do our 13 league games and then do three nonleague, kind of like crossover games with Schuylkill League teams.

“We’re going to try to continue that; we’re just not sure what that’s going to look like with being able to reschedule the nonleague games.”

Regardless of what it looks like or when it happens, schools will be ready.

“Whatever guidelines come across on Jan. 4, whatever opportunity we have to compete and get the kids playing and having fun, we’re certainly prepared to work within those guidelines,” said Spotts. “It’s been a frustrating year, but at the same time, you have to look at the bigger picture and be fortunate that we’re even in the position where we have an opportunity to do it.

“As much as you can sit back and complain about things, there are a lot of people that have been impacted far worse than not being able to play some games or practice. In the grand scheme of things, everyone has the best interest of our student-athletes - and everyone else involved with them - as our primary concern, so you have to keep that in perspective at all times as well.”