The Susquehanna Community Sabers are coming off their first win at states in school history. Then the blizzard happened.
Our cameras got as far north as Forest City, but Susquehanna was just not doable. Head coach Errol Mannick took a break from shoveling his driveway just to Facetime with us.
"The challenge for us is obviously we're not going to get in the gym," Mannick said. "So that part you just kind of have to accept. The challenge for us is a lot of the roads are dirt roads. How do they even get to the school?"
We talked to the athletic director and superintendent over the phone. Their issue with the PIAA is simple; if we couldn't get up there to do a story, how are they going to get down here for a basketball game?
"If we can't get the buses out or get the children in from the different area that they come from, it shouldn't be held against us," said Roxann Lloyd, athletic director for the school. "This is Mother Nature. This is not like I don't have a starting lineup or my key player is sick. This is something that we have no control over."
The snow isn't quite as bad at Pittston Area High School, where the Sabers are supposed to play Lourdes Regional Thursday at 7:00 p.m., and even though just getting there is going to be a logistical nightmare, the PIAA has told the school they really don't have a choice.
"We have not received anything in regards to a tentative schedule change or anything along those lines and that's very unfortunate," said Bronson Stone, the school's superintendent. "Many spots of the school district that are 30 plus inches of snow. It's my 22nd year at Susquehanna Community and I've never seen anything like that here."
"I'm really hoping that the PIAA, you know, comes to their senses and takes a look at the area. It's not fair to the girls," Lloyd added.
"Regardless of what happens with the PIAA and the game, I am so proud of our girls basketball team and I know our whole community is too," Stone said.
Newswatch 16 reached out to the PIAA. Obviously, they have their logistics to work out with the locations, the referees, and so forth. Chief Operating Officer Mark Byers told us it's premature to postpone any games right now, and they will revisit this on Thursday. They did schedule a conference call for the morning with all the District II schools to make a final decision.