Fall sports are back!!! On Sept. 25, everyone in the Philadelphia Catholic League got blessed with some great news: All fall sports would resume this season.

This reverses the decision released on Aug. 24, when the Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced that all 17 Archdiocesan high schools in the five-county Philadelphia region would opt out of fall sports for the 2020-21 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the latest statement, Superintendent Sister Maureen L. McDermott, wrote: “We are pleased to share that the time has come to allow the resumption of interscholastic athletic competition while continuing to strictly follow health and safety guidelines.”

Players are excited because they had believed they might not put on those pads, or touch that field, or get on the court until late spring, or maybe even never again.

Senior Malachi Hansen, Carroll’s starting safety, said he was “beyond hype for this season.” He added: “Thinking my senior season could possibly just not happen was heartbreaking, but when Coach told us we’d have a season starting next month, I had no time to even be excited, I was just ready to get to work.”

In addition, Hansen said: “It’s good for the mental health of athletes.”

Some students’ only way of getting through school is the anticipation of practice or a game at the end of the day. Without their sport, they had no motivation and felt purposeless. Hansen said, “With sports back, we have a reason again.”

Kevin Mahady, a senior on the varsity soccer team, has a great outlook on the return of fall sports. 

Mahady said “I’m so excited man. Can’t wait to get back to being dirty. The boys are absolutely buzzing.”