Athletes and coaches of winter sports have had several weeks now to digest the fact they will not be able to compete this winter and that is hitting differently for coaches at Monticello High School.

For Monticello High School wrestling coach Andy Moore, not having wrestling this winter was predictable for him given the high contact and physical nature of his sport. Even still, he's missing his athletes and the competition.

Monticello girls basketball coach Dave Beery was skeptical they would get to play this winter, which frustrates him because neighboring states successfully played their fall sports seasons and are moving forward with winter sports now.

The Illinois Basketball Coaches Association surveyed their coaches and Monticello Boys Basketball Coach Kevin Roy participated in the survey and it was the feeling of himself and his players they were willing to do whatever it took to play, and note they still are.

Most of the coaches at this point have had very little contact with their players as the IHSA shut down all sports activities a couple of weeks ago with plans to revisit the issue shortly after the first of the year. Unlike basketball, wrestling never really got off the ground with any practices or team activities.

Coach Roy says interaction with his student-athletes has also been limited although, unlike Coach Moore, there was a brief period they were able to see their kids before things shut-down.

Frustrating is how Coach Beery described the limited interaction he's been able to have with his girls and says he is starting to miss the kids. He notes he has kids that want to play and they have nowhere to go.

As of now, there are no plans for shifting basketball to a different season. Any effort to do so would conflict with a number of other sports that have shifted to other seasons, including football which has shifted to the spring, set to begin in February, and baseball which is now a summer sport. 

Coach Moore is concerned about plans to move wrestling to the spring and summer as he has a number of athletes that compete in other sports and that would force those students to make some tough decisions.