High school basketball and sports across the Valley experienced challenges in a season dictated by pandemic safety measures. 

Covid-19 has affected the way sporting events are played in every city across the nation. 

Northeast Valley News placed the spotlight on Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale and discovered that some of the stringent pandemic guidelines were difficult to deal with— for both players and fans.

Playing basketball and staying focused during a pandemic, was a difficult “opponent” for the Desert Mountain High School Wolves. 

Players and coaches wore masks and the fans were told to socially distance for safety at the games where attendance was allowed. Covid-19 tests were administered to the entire team and it was apparent that some students (especially the seniors) were frustrated by the fact that they could not attend many of the games. 

Mark Schumaker, Desert Mountain High School’s head basketball coach told Northeast Valley News that the team tried to stay focused on the season they had.

“We wondered if our games were going to be cancelled because of COVID. We just tried to get through it, and focus on something else and we were happy that we had a season,” Schumaker said.

Schumaker said the most difficult part about the season was the need to focus on stuff other than basketball—there were empty seats that are typically filled with fans in the student section. 

Desert Mountain will be returning to practice over the summer. 

Even though the mask mandate is not popular with the players (or particularly comfortable) the policy of wearing masks will likely remain the protocol at Desert Mountain in order to keep everyone safe.