2020-2021 CHS sports outlook

Mia Ferraro
CHS Class of 22

(11/2020) This past winter, COVID-19 brought an unforeseen and unprecedented halt to many aspects of our lives. Highschoolers were suddenly restricted to visiting classmates online, prom was canceled, graduations were virtual, and student athletes were benched for the season. This abrupt change brought unpredictability and uncertainty with it for many students, and many student athletes were looking to Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) for some clue as to when they can return to the game, and what, exactly, that might look like in the midst of a global pandemic.

In response to this uncertainty, FCPS announced the formation of the FCPS COVID-19 Return to Play Committee mid-June. It’s purpose is to evaluate and determine how FCPS will move forward with its athletic programs for the 20-21 school year based on guidance from the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA). The committee, made up of 22 members, including 5 members of the FCPS Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, states its guiding principle to be that "the health and safety of FCPS student-athletes, coaches and all other athletic-related stakeholders will drive all decision-making of the Return to Play Committee." According to Keith Bruck, Catoctin High School Athletic Director, much of Catoctin’s plans rely on the MSDE, the MPSSAA, and FCPS.

By the end of June, FCPS had announced that the FCPS COVID-19 Return to Play Committee had set a tentative return date for summer conditioning as July 13 and August 12 as the tentative date for fall sports to begin. However, on July 14th, FCPS announced that non-sport specific summer conditioning and re-acclimatization was to begin on Monday, July 20th and run through August 12th. With everyone’s safety in mind, conditioning was to be held outside during periods when heat and humidity were low. Athletes were to be grouped in pods of 10-15 students and standard COVID-19 precautionary measures were to be followed. This momentum was cut short, however, when the Frederick Board of Education suspended the 2020 Fall Interscholastic Athletic season, including summer conditioning and re-acclimatization, after the decision to conduct the first semester of the year online was announced on July 29th.

Almost a month later, FCPS released details of how the schools would proceed with voluntary workouts and non-contact practices during the first semester of the 20-21 school year. Fall, spring, and winter sports would have their own voluntary workout seasons. Fall sports conditioning was to run from August 31st to September 23rd. Spring conditioning is to run from September 28th to October 21st with registration to open September 16th. Winter sports conditioning is to run from October 26th to November 18th, with registration to begin on October 14th. No athletic fees will be charged for any first semester sports activities and no tryouts are to be held until second semester. Practices are completely voluntary and will not determine team picks for the competitive season.

The MPSSAA announced its plan for the second semester competitive season on September 11th. Winter sports will hold practice and reconditioning from February 1st to February 21st, and competitions from February 22 through March 27th. Fall sports will practice from March 15th to April 4th and compete from April 5th through May 8th. Spring athletes will practice from April 26th to May 16th and compete from May 17th through June 19th. As sports are expected to resume, a number of new coaches are welcomed to Catoctin, including Kevin Felichko and David Lillard.

Kevin Felichko is taking over as the new head coach of the CHS boys soccer team after assisting the team last year. He has been coaching for 10 years. He began his coaching career at the Catoctin Youth Association Soccer Club. The team that his son was on needed a coach, so he stepped in. Like the beginning of any career, it wasn’t an easy start. He attended coaching clinics as a means to improve his soccer skills and knowledge, and he played indoor soccer to relate better to the athletes. "That was easily the best decision I made in terms of my coaching as I experienced game time decision-making, the feel of scoring a goal, the disappointment of scoring an own goal, etcetera," he explained. In addition to coaching CYASC, he served on the soccer club’s Board of Directors for nine years.

Felichko has been conducting Return to Play conditioning, and it seems the athletes are progressing very quickly. He explained that the difference between the first and last days of training was "incredible." He went on to say, "This is a very coachable group of athletes who want to learn and do more." Felichko expects consistent improvement this year over the last few seasons. Throughout the conditioning season, the team has been mostly focused on transitioning to attack out of their defensive third, something they struggled with last year. He hopes to reduce the amount of last year’s goals scored against them by 35-50%. They are really focusing on reading the game and reacting to the opposing players in the moment, and reducing the time they take to acknowledge and act in any situation.

It’s Felichko’s belief that the success of a team starts by "reducing their goals against and increasing their possession time using last season’s metrics." He says that the success of an individual means maintaining confidence during problem-solving, learning from one’s mistakes, and applying these lessons to the other aspects of learning.

Felichko has co-created a soccer app which helps athletes improve soccer skills on their own through challenging games. The app is called StatUP and can be found in the App Store and Google Play.

Coming from Oakdale High School, David Lillard is the new CHS boys cross country and outdoor/indoor track coach. He previously coached at Urbana High School for 10 years and then began a 10-year coaching career at Oakdale High School, where he also continues to teach science. He started running in high school, and began coaching by working alongside a friend when they asked him for his assistance. He enjoyed this occupation and has continued in that direction since.

Lillard is familiar with the athletes from previous seasons, as track and field is a tight-knit community. He feels that the athletes have been progressing very well during conditioning. He has been working closely with girls cross country and indoor track coach, Lois Strickland, getting the athletes focused on what a typical work-out day is like. Catoctin seems to be welcoming Lillard well. "It’s an easy transition because it doesn’t matter if you’re at Oakdale, Urbana, wherever - the athletes are generally great kids and they just want to do their best for you," he said. "Overall, Frederick County has got some amazing kids that just want to do great."

"My first expectation is that when the kids come in, they’re stronger than the day before - stronger than yesterday," Lillard explained. "That’s how you slowly inch your way into becoming great." That’s the team’s motto as well - "Stronger than yesterday." He believes that a team is only successful when the athletes are successful. Lillard feels that the most rewarding part of coaching is seeing everything come together. "When you see that self-confidence kick in and that self-worth be shown, and they know that they are as good as they’ve been told they are, it’s just amazing." He feels that his responsibility to the team goes beyond training. "Coaching is a priority but the reality is that we also want to produce young men and women who will help whoever needs help and to do whatever needs to be done."

Although circumstances are unprecedented this year, the coaches’ and teams’ commitment to their sports and communities remain strong. Let us wish them the best.