New challenges for Div. III sports after end of fall season

Coyer Field on Buffalo State campus. July 21, 2020 (WBEN Photo/Mike Baggerman)
Photo credit Coyer Field on Buffalo State campus. July 21, 2020 (WBEN Photo/Mike Baggerman)

Buffalo State's Head Football Coach, Christian Ozolins, plans to discuss future plans with each individual player who will lose out on this season.

"I told them I didn't have a whole lot of information other than to say our season was canceled," Ozolins said. "They are allowed to come back to school at the same time the regular student comes, which is the 24th of August. We normally report two weeks earlier for preseason camp but won't be doing that this year. We meet on Monday and then I will have some more answers for them."

Some of the conversations may include whether or not some of their football athletes should return to campus. If their classes are online, it would not make sense financially for some of them to return to campus. The vast majority of athletes on the Buffalo State football team are from New York State, with many from the Buffalo and Rochester area, though others are from as far away as New York City. The football team also has athletes from Maryland, Connecticut, Washington D.C., and one is from Canada.

My heart goes out to the 123 guys I had to tell tonight that we will not be playing football in 2020. We will get through this challenge. Challenges are apart of life, this is just another opportunity for our football family to grow and become stronger together! #ExtraDegree

— Christian Ozolins (@Ozolincp) July 21, 2020

"It's 123 zoom meetings," Ozolins said. "I'm not a big FaceTime guy but I told them because of this situation I will be FaceTiming them because the last thing I want to do in this kind of conversation is to do it over the phone instead of eye-to-eye. Some kids, maybe we'll meet in the parking lot somewhere if they're local. It's a major decision for a lot of these young men. We had 22 seniors that are going to have to make a life-changing decision, whether they decide to stay around for another year and play out their final season or do they graduate in May and start their professional careers?"

SUNYAC announced Monday the suspension of all fall sports due to concerns over the health and safety of players. Winter sports will be delayed until January 1.

"Despite the absence of competition this fall, I am confident that we will be able to continue providing our student-athletes with an engaging athletic experience that includes a great opportunity for personal skill development and growth through small group workouts," Mike Howard, the chair of the SUNYAC Governing Body and director of athletics at Plattsburgh, said in a statement. "Our coaches are some of the best in the business at seizing opportunity when options seem limited and this certainly will be no exception as they continue recruiting, mentoring and engaging safely in community service."

Ozolins said it is the most bizarre year he has encountered in his 26-year career as a collegiate football coach.

"Since 1979 I've done something with football every fall," he said. "I don't know what I'm going to do with my time. My son's season got canceled at Mercyhurst and I can't even go watch him play. I don't know what I'm going to do."

One thing he and the other coaches on his staff will continue to do is recruit players. However, this may be the toughest recruiting season he has ever faced because the New York State Public High School Athletic Association announced last week that the Fall 2020 sports season will be delayed until September 21. High schools will no longer have regional and state championship events this fall.

Among his recruiting tactics is to examine tape from an athlete's junior year.

"We'll do the best we can," Ozolins said. "We'll recruit off of junior film and recommendations and the relationships that we've built not only in Western New York but the State of New York. I've been here 16 years so we've got a pretty good reputation around the State of New York. I could call a coach from Greene High School to see if he has any prospects...There's always going to be that gray area and, unfortunately, for some kids, they may not have a whole lot of film from their junior year."

Ozolins said when the news came out he felt bitter, but said it's a challenge that he hopes to overcome.

"We move on to 2021 and figure out how we retain the 123 kids that were committed to Buffalo State football and go on until tomorrow," he said.