There’s no way around it, Ron Price is itching for football.
East Webster’s football coach just finished his best season in three years at the school as he led the team to an 11-2 record after back-to-back six-win seasons. They won two playoff games and are poised for an even better season in 2020.
But all of that will have to wait until the coronavirus passes through the country. Right now, while everyone is at home, Price is taking in every moment that he has whether it be fixing up helmets or watching his kids go through a daily routine from home.
“Everything I can possibly do football related I’m trying to do right now,” Price said. “But I’m enjoying spending time with my family. It’s been fun seeing my kids do school work and staying home with my one year old. I miss seeing our kids at East Webster, but it’s been enjoyable to spend time with my kids and wife. Maybe it’s been a good opportunity for everybody to stop and think.”
Price knows that eventually he will be on the sidelines again coaching his players. He knows that sports will likely be back for good at some point and that it will all be right in the world again. But for some players, there won’t be sports again.
There are seniors across the landscape of high school sports that have likely played their last games. They didn’t get a chance at closure and they didn’t get to see just how far they could possibly go. For those players, Price hurts. Especially knowing how hard they’ve all worked.
“I feel awful for these seniors in spring sports. Several of our kids at East Webster were playing important games in baseball and softball for their careers. I hope some opportunities and doors open for them,” Price said. “I can’t imagine what they’re feeling and I hate that for them. I wish there was a way to give them an ending to their season that they deserve.”
Though the baseball and softball players’ seasons remain undetermined, Price did get to see his team play a full season and finish things out. He got to see those seniors off and he’ll have a couple of them play college ball in punter/kicker Parker Burleson and lineman Caleb Massey.
But there’s also a lot returning for Price’s team and he’s excited about the future. The Wolverines have the benefit of bringing back a large chunk of their skill players and some bodies on the line that will help them get acclimated rather quickly. But as Price mentioned, they can’t start too late before things get serious ahead of the season.
“From January to spring break, we really focused on weights. When we came back from spring break we were going to incorporate football things,” Price said. “Fortunately, we’re going into a season where a lot of kids will be returning starters. This would be the time to not have it. I think it’s vital that we be able to start workouts on time in June or July. You can’t shut down those two months.”
