Hope may not be a plan, but it’s the best we’ve got as we try to live our lives in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

MARION – Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has said it many times. Hope is not a plan.

As we continue to live with the coronavirus central to our being, we are putting a lot of blind trust and faith in our fellow citizens.

Color me skeptical.

I live blocks away from a university. This week I’ve seen a lot of masks coming to and from classes. I’ve seen band members practicing outside while being socially distanced. I’ve seen athletes training the way the rules are written for them to be training.

And on Friday or Saturday nights throughout the spring and summer, I’ve seen none of that care and consideration. Even with school officially starting, I don’t see that behavior changing when left to their own devices in their down time.

I guess the hope is the virus goes dormant after hours. And as the governor says, hope is not a plan.

In the course of my job covering the return of high school sports, I’ve made some rounds. For the most part, coaches, athletes and fans are doing the right things. But that’s just a few hours out of 24.

What’s happening the rest of the time?

School administrators and coaches are hopeful everyone stays vigilant, but again, hope is not a plan.

Some will; others won’t. Some are taking it seriously; others think it’s a farce. Some are doing the right things; others feel invincible or think it doesn’t apply to them. Some kids are getting consistent messages between school, sports and home. Others are getting totally different messages around the supper table from those who think this is all a bunch of hooey.

On a football team with 60 players or a soccer team with 25 or a volleyball team with 12 or a cross country team with a large pack, do we honestly think everyone is on the same page for all hours of the day and night? Really? Naivete isn’t a plan either.

High school sports don’t have the luxury of competing in a bubble like the pros. Widespread testing is unfeasible. We can’t quarantine teams together indefinitely.

So what’s the alternative? Shut it down or hope.

Incredibly, I choose hope.

Sports aren’t compulsory. Kids aren’t required to play. For those who are truly concerned about the health and welfare of their children and families, they can opt out.

For the rest, they have to understand the risks and weigh them. Is the potential of getting COVID-19 worth it? How about the chance of spreading it to others unknowingly, especially the most vulnerable? What are the long term effects from the disease if contracted?

All are major concerns, but playing sports has always been a risk, especially in high-contact athletics like football and soccer where concussions and potential spinal injuries have long been part of the game. Kids have died in accidents and from the heat and from undiagnosed health problems brought on by exertion. Now add COVID-19 to the balance scales.

Thankfully in 30 years in this business, I’ve never had to write an obituary about a high school athlete dying in competition or practice. I’ve seen major injuries, but never anything as serious as paralysis. However, I have seen concussions derail seasons and careers. There’s a reason why an ambulance is required for every football game.

Now there is the coronavirus and it’s potential to change lives for the worse.

As Marion Harding football coach Jerrod Slater said, we know the virus is here and it’s real. Just about every school in the area has been touched by it in some way, either through a scare or positive tests that were mitigated. For most, it turned into a minor disruption, but there are cases around the state like the Mount Gilead football program where shutting down for two weeks was the best course of action.

The coronavirus will strike more teams without a doubt.

So again, what’s the alternative if not shutting down?

You hope.

You hope because the power of sports to shape lives and influence the best behaviors in our youth is too great to discard.

You hope because sports give kids focus and a purpose. They get positive role models and lifelong friendships out of athletics. Sports give kids aspiration, whether it’s to maintain good enough grades to keep eligibility or to be good enough to reach the next level. Athletes learn about discipline, team work and selflessness. It keeps bodies in shape and minds right.

You hope because structure helps keep kids on track and out of trouble.

You hope because at least for those few hours at practice and games, you know they are doing the right things and getting the proper messages about being safe.

You hope because the athletes already got it taken away in the spring and losing it again in the fall would further be detrimental to their mental health.

You hope because we have to learn how to live with this disease in our life. We aren’t built to be on hold indefinitely. There is no cure right now and no guarantee of a vaccine coming anytime soon, so you either bunker down or you deal with it as it comes.

So you hope.

I hope.

I know there are pockets of the population who don’t believe it’s real. I know there are those who don’t take the mandates and protocols seriously. I know we all are capable of being lax at times, even the most diligent. I know everyone is susceptible to the coronavirus and that it can turn serious and even deadly.

I know all that. And still I hope.

It may not be a plan, but it’s the best we’ve got as we try to live our lives in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Rob McCurdy is the sports writer at the Marion Star and can be reached at rmccurdy@gannett.com, work 740-375-5158, cell 419-610-0998, Twitter @McMotorsport and Instagram @rob_mccurdy_star.