I learned one major lesson years ago. Never, ever say things cannot get any worse.

Why? Because they usually do, often not long after you speak those words. But let’s face it, 2020 is in a category of its own.

Nobody asked for a life-altering pandemic, the loss of spring sports or an uphill battle to have fall sports.

And now, two would-be hurricanes are churning closer to the Gulf of Mexico at the same time. The hits keep on coming.

News that the Diocese of Baton Rouge was suspending fall extra-curricular sports for its elementary and middle schools hit my inbox before 9 a.m. Friday.

Not long before that, I saw a social media post that showed a largely maskless student section cheering shoulder to shoulder at a high school football game in Alabama.

Stuff like that might be enough to make some people throw in the towel and give up on high school sports in 2020. Plenty of us refuse to. I believe in all the schools, coaches and administrators who are fighting for high school sports to happen.

Gov. John Bel Edwards is scheduled to make a key announcement this week. Louisiana’s number of coronavirus cases has dropped. We want Edwards to tell us we are moving into Phase 3 of Louisiana’s reopening.

Yet we all feel trepidation about this announcement. So much is riding on it, including the start of volleyball on Sept. 8 and a much-anticipated start to football Oct. 8-10.

Though I remain optimistic about the return of high school sports, I was a bit disheartened by what I saw and read Friday morning. The BR diocese made a tough decision I am sure no one really wanted to make.

Several folks on social media transitioned to a topic that has bounced around since last spring — a move to club-based sports away from school-based teams.

Could what we hope is a one-year team sports aberration caused by a pandemic really cause that much of a sports shift? Seems like a bit of a stretch. However, it is something many coaches fear. And yes, I did notice multiple youth football groups inviting players in grades fifth through eighth to come join, also on social media, after the BR diocese’s announcement.

But each time I spoke to a high school coach, I got an emotional lift. Their passion and resolve to prepare their players for a season that offers few guarantees is inspiring. They have concerns, but they are working for their teams to have fall seasons.

Late last Friday night, another social media post introduced me to Jeremy Lewis, a high school athletic director in Utah. When fans in the stands for American Fork High School’s football game did not follow mask and social-distancing protocols, Lewis stopped the game.

Lewis told fans the game would not resume until everyone followed the safety protocols. The fans did and the game did go on. American Fork (2-0) got the win, with an assist from its AD.

There it was — some of my hopes and fears about seasons we all want Louisiana high schools to have — all playing out in other ways in one day.

You know what, I am OK with that. I’ll gladly do it every day until high school sports return.