Eight Legionnaires seniors deprived of final track and field season

The eight Bonsall High School seniors on this year’s track and field team were deprived of their 2020 season.

“We did some training,” Bonsall head coach Eric Hendy said.

The Legionnaires were supposed to participate in a Frontier League cluster meet March 12.

“It got rained out,” Hendy said.

The coronavirus quarantine closed the school following the March 13 classes and afternoon activities. The CIF suspended all athletic events and eventually canceled all spring sports.

That ended the careers of seniors Conrado Acevedo-Batiz, Austin Alanis, Cole Cuccino, Jonathan Esposito, Abigayle Ford, Isabella Ford, Faith Gioia and Allie Stahlheber.

“It’s a hard pill to swallow to finish out the senior year like this, but that group is particularly talented and intelligent and strong-hearted and I know they will be able to take this experience and apply it to their career in life in helping the world overcome a situation like this in our future,” Hendy said.

The Ford twins were in Bonsall’s track and field program for four years; Abigayle and Isabella Ford were middle distance and relay runners. Alanis, who is a distance runner, transferred to Bonsall from Lejeune High School in North Carolina and spent three seasons including 2020 on the Legionnaires’ track and field team.

Gioia, who ran middle distance and relay events, was also with the Bonsall program for three years as was Acevedo-Batiz, who threw the shot put and discus. Esposito, who ran sprints races, was in his second year with the program. Cuccino and Stahlheber were to have made their Bonsall track and field debut this season, Cuccino as a sprinter and Stahlheber as a 400-meter runner.

The Bonsall athletes will be awarded varsity letters even though there was no competition.

“There’s no reason not to award them their letter for their commitment,” Hendy said.

Past track and field, cross-country and soccer participation means that no actual letter will be presented.

“They’ve already gotten their physical letter,” Hendy said.

Although the student-athletes did not participate in any meets, they fulfilled the criteria of earning a letter.

“Our school policy is to participate in at least 75% of the team activities and finish with the team in good standing,” Hendy said. “They all came out and worked hard. They were exhibiting dedication and determinism.”

That hard work included practice before school when they were not officially part of a team.

“The level of dedication and determination was really strong,” Hendy said.

Alanis plans to run in college but has not yet selected a school.

“It’s probably not on the radar for the other runners,” Hendy said.

Despite not having any actual meets, the underclassmen still received some benefit from senior leadership.

“Their leadership kicked in before us officially getting together,” Hendy said. “The one piece I think will be missing would be the leadership in actual contests. We’re going to miss the in-contest leadership.”

Joe Naiman can be reached by email at [email protected].