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Dec 24, 2020 By Jim Downey jdowney@heraldstandard.Com 3 min read

With apologies to Clement Moore … 

‘Twas the day before Christmas, and all through the town,

Faces were masked, some with a smile, other a frown; 

The gyms were quiet, no splashing in the pool,

No skating in rinks over this time of Yule;

Athletes were nestled all snug in their beds,

While dreams of 3-pointers filled their sleepy heads;

Mom and dad settled down for the night,

In the glow of the shine from the neighborÄ¢¹½ÊÓƵ bright lights;

Thoughts turned to the spring, a season so long ago, 

Games lost, without hardly a throw;

But spring gave way to summerÄ¢¹½ÊÓƵ warm days,

And baseball and softball tried to figure out a way;

Kudos to Ryan, and Dickie, Vince, John and Ray,

The FCBL season would not be held at bay;

The Mill Run nine kept their tradition alive,

Taking the field with the same old drive;

The league played a dozen, and playoffs, too,

With the title won by the new Masontown crew;

Legion ball was cancelled, but ball was still played,

By enterprising organizers not dismayed;

The fall season came with the start of the school year,

ADs trying to schedule in this new frontier;

But they ran, and hit, and kicked the ball,

Bringing smiles to fans and parents throughout the fall;

Now Ryan, now Lucas, now Luke and Ben

On JoJo, on Hope, on Grace, run through the glen;

Take to the course, run as fast as you can,

Bringing home the medals, according to plan;

Mary Kate, Olivia, Tessa and Jillian, all scored at will,

And, Eben and Daniel sure had their goal-scoring fill;

The Connellsville girls were undefeated for a section crown,

And the Waynesburg and LH volleyball teams had a season of renown;

Megan, Adena and Madison played the grand Oakmont course, 

A tough 18 holes, but they had no remorse;

Claire made states, and Kyle did, as well,

The Mikes golf team, in the Class AA finals, did excel;

Tyler had a rough finish, Matt gave it his best,

Patrick played with his usual zest;

Attention now turns to the winterÄ¢¹½ÊÓƵ seasons, 

That were postponed after one game for concern and health reasons;

But, Hope springs eternal, the last of PandoraÄ¢¹½ÊÓƵ box,

Crying for release to combat the woes that were released;

Darkness is the absence of light, cold is the lack of heat,

Hope gives way to despair when given to defeat;

Swimmers and shooters, cagers and skaters, just keep hope alive,

Because Hope allows optimism to grow and thrive;

The Dodgers, Lightning and Lakers didn’t burst the bubble, 

Now, the Steelers hope to avoid late season trouble;

NBA teams take to the courts Christmas afternoon,

The Penguins and NHL will play games soon;

Times are strange, hard to understand,

But, as Clement Moore wrote, Santa has a fun plan;

Jolly Old Saint Nick spreads happiness and cheer,

So, let Hope do its work, as we look to the New Year.

On behalf of sports editor Rob Burchianti and myself, please let me extend the warmest wishes for a Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with sporting events galore.