The inevitable was finally announced last week as the New York State Public High School Athletic Association on Monday, March 23, ultimately canceled any winter state championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The announcement ended the Newburgh Free Academy bowling team’s season.

“I was disappointed,” Newburgh co-coach Matt Iorlano said. “I felt really bad for them. It was out of our hands.”

According to a news release from the NYSPHSAA, plans are being made to honor and formally recognize the students and teams who qualified to participate in those events.

“Our association’s focus is to benefit students through participation in interscholastic athletics and unfortunately this rapidly developing situation has prevented our association from providing a quality championship experience,” Zayas said in a news release. “We certainly sympathize for the students who are being impacted by this crisis but at this time they deserve honesty from the leadership of our association.”

The Goldbacks were the only local team who still had any contests left as swimming, wrestling and indoor track championships had already happened.

The Goldbacks were originally scheduled to compete at Strike N Spare Lanes in Newburgh on Sunday, March 15.

It would have marked a stellar end to the program’s inaugural season as they entered Section 9 by claiming the boy’s large-school sectional championship, beating out the Kingston Tigers.

State basketball tournament games started feeling the effect of the pandemic as early as March 9. Just four days after defeating Pine Bush in front of a packed house at Mount Saint Mary College in the Section 9 championship game, the Newburgh boys’ basketball team lost on a buzzer beater in their home gym, but devoid of spectators.

“I thought it sold the season short to a certain extent,” boys’ basketball coach Frank Dinnocenzio said. “For the players and fans that weren’t there, you almost sold everybody short.”

Even while that was going on, the bowling team’s date in Syracuse was still scheduled to happen and be played in front of spectators.

However, Newburgh co-coach Matt Iorlano learned from the Newburgh Enlarged City School District that the district wasn’t allowing the team to go to Syracuse on March 12.

“They were disappointed,” Iorlano said. “They were looking forward to it. They’re young kids. A lot of freshman and sophomores. I think they were looking forward to getting away and going on a trip than the competition.”

Later in the day, the state indefinitely postponed all remaining contests.

“We felt a little bit better that it wasn’t just us; it was everybody,” Iorlano said.

Factors that played a role in this decision include but are not limited to: the evolving COVID-19 public threat, CDC mass gathering recommendations, Governor Cuomo’s declaration of a state emergency, President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency, input from the 11 Sections and extended school closures.

“This is one of the most difficult decisions the Officers of the NYSPHSAA have ever had to make,” NYSPHSAA President Paul Harrica said in a news release. “It has been determined it is not feasible for the winter state championships to be hosted in a safe and beneficial manner for the participating student-athletes and their teams in the near future. The health and safety of the students we serve will always be our top priority.”

As of right now, section and individual districts are still determining the spring sports start dates.

The Section 9 Athletics committee announced on March 17 that it will not allow any games or scrimmages to be played before May 1.

The status of the NYSPHSAA Spring State Championships will be determined on or prior to Monday, April 27.