We had groups of seniors mad because their opportunities were taken away. It affected the entire atmosphere at school.

In some cases, kids are going to excel in school regardless of their sport participation. For others, they could fail in the classroom and go unpunished. The kids that didn't do well, there wasn't too much to take away from them because we didn't have any dances or extra-curricular activities.

In general, it's just a better way to start a year. Everyone is real positive and excited. Last year, it was hard to be positive in the situation. It's very refreshing this year.

If they would get the school fixed up, then the neighborhood would get cleaned up.

You frequently hear that the Archdiocese is closing a school and that's not what the situation is. This is a very careful and thoughtful process. It takes months. There is great consultation. The bottom line is we have to determine what's going to be the best way to provide affordable quality Catholic education, not just next month but next year, five years from now, 10 years from now. We have a responsibility to do that.

Your year in school doesn't determine the contribution you'll make. The underclassmen are talented and they're very experienced from playing travel ball in the summer. They bring a lot of skill and energy to our team.