MOULTRIE – Call it a dark day for a young person.

On April 2, the Georgia High School Association, after Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared that all public schools be closed until the end of the 2019-20 school year, cancelled the remainder of the competitive sports calendar. The coronavirus pandemic that’s impacting the entire United States and beyond is to blame.

“It’s the guidelines we have to follow,” said Colquitt County High athletic director Greg Tillery. “Nobody knew (on March 12) that it was the last time we would (have high school sports). It’s just something we have to deal with.

“The biggest thing is the seniors are not getting to complete their seasons. It’s got to be painful for them. It’s not just sports, but graduation, prom, parties, all of these things they won’t get to participate in. They won’t get this back.”

This was an unprecedented move, and the Georgia High School Association’s executive director Robin Hines said the National High School Federation’s eight-semester rule will remain in effect. That means current seniors will not be granted a fifth year of eligibility.

The loss of these experiences are one part of the story. For Colquitt County High School itself, no more games also means no more gate revenue. Baseball had three home Region 1-7A doubleheaders in a row beginning March 13, the first day the GHSA called for a mandatory suspension of its activities. The Packer boys soccer team was in position to win the region championship, which would have brought state playoff games to Packer Park.

Tillery said he didn’t have an exact dollar figure on how much lost income that adds up to.

“I would have to go back and look at how many games we had (coming up),” he said. “It will have a financial impact.”

Both the Colquitt County boys and girls tennis teams played all their region matches and clinched the No. 1 seeds for the region tournament. That was set to take place in mid-April, and so there was the possibility of more state competition coming to Moultrie.

“Baseball was just starting to get good,” said Tillery about the 2-0 region start for first-year head coach Matt Crews. “We’ll not know what would have happened there. Things were looking good in track. We had a couple of meets here (scheduled). It’s affecting middle school all the way up.”

The other major day seniors look forward to is “Senior Night,” a game picked usually towards the end of the season for them to walk with family before the home crowd. Packer tennis actually did “Senior Night” in February, and the Colquitt County High gymnastics program recognized its one senior, Jaylee Williams, at its only scheduled home meet at the Moultrie YMCA on Feb. 29.

Patti Wier, the high school gymnastics coach, said she even recognized seniors from visiting teams that don’t have home meets. It’s something she said she tries to do every season.

Gov. Kemp’s order specifically states that schools are closed until the end of the academic year. On the Colquitt County school calendar, the last day of school is May 20. Hines said back on April 2 that no GHSA activities or practices are allowed until further notice.

“I am hoping for the best but there is no information available that would allow for any decision regarding when practices and workouts will be allowed,” said Hines.

Tillery said the decisions on when such activities for the summer can commence are in the hands of the “higher-ups.”

“Obviously we will miss spring football,” he said. “Softball tryouts are usually the first or second week of May, but that’s not happening.

“It will be like starting over. It may take a while for them to get back to being in shape.”

Wier is also involved in the operation of Colquitt County High’s game cheerleading squad. She reported receiving a “ton” of calls and messages recently about the state of tryouts.

“We were supposed to have (high school) tryouts last week,” she said, adding that the middle school tryouts were set for April 23. “That’s been the biggest stressor for me. We are looking at the summer. Our hands are tied.”

Beyond sports at schools, Tillery said travel ball teams and football 7-on-7 tournaments are shutting down. Packer softball coach Chance Pitts, according to Tillery, has a weight-lifting and throwing program for his players that’s also on hold. Wier mentioned camps and competitions for cheerleaders marked on the calendar for June that are right now a question mark.

No matter the sport, all student-athletes must take a physical exam prior to a new school year, and Tillery said those are usually done from May to June.

“There’s a lot of questions, ifs, ands and buts,” he said.

There is a big question out there nobody wants to consider but it is being debated when it comes to the collegiate and professional level: Will there be a 2020 football season?

“I can’t see them doing away with it,” said Wier, concentrating on the high school season.

“I’ve heard no talk about the fall (sports) as far as the GHSA goes,” said Tillery, who himself coached football and baseball at Colquitt County High and played on the Packer gridiron. “But you never know. (COVID-19) is a serious issue. I can’t speak on what will or won’t happen.”