The Marysville High School student sports cheering section, otherwise known as “The Pit,” has been selected as a finalist for the Ohio High School Athletic Association “Golden Megaphone” award.
The Monarch students, however, won’t be able to receive any possible accolade any time in the near future.
As per a mandate by Governor Mike DeWine, the OHSAA is limiting the number of people who may attend state tournaments for girls and boys basketball, wrestling and ice hockey over the next couple of weeks.
Fears of the Coronavirus prompted DeWine to issue the mandate on Tuesday.
The Monarch student cheering section was scheduled to attend, along with other finalists, at the boys state basketball tournament next week at The Ohio State University’s Schottenstein Center.
The award winner was to be announced during the tournament.
Fans at those games will be limited to family members only of student-athletes and coaches.
“As it is right now, our students will not be attending the boys tournament,” said Marysville High School athletic director Joey Day.
Finalists for the award were selected by the OHSAA on the basis of sportsmanship, leadership and engagement during high school sporting events.
Day praised the Monarch student cheering section for its work during the football and basketball seasons.
The athletic director said he wasn’t sure at this time whether the award winner will be announced at the tournament or whether some type of plaque would be awarded to the winner at a future date.