For Middletown South Field Hockey, It's A Heartbreaker

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Madison Cigolini, 18, stood on the field at Middletown South High School last Friday. Her cleats and shin guards were on. Her mask was off. Temp had been taken. Field hockey stick in hand.

She and her teammates were relaxed and confident. In just a few days, the Middletown South field hockey team would defend their championship title against familiar rivals.

Or so they thought.

Their coach, Jordan Hickman, was late getting to practice.

"It felt strange, like something was wrong," said Cigolini, a senior forward. "When she walked onto the field, she said, 'You guys have to go home. You have to get in your cars and leave.'"

The season was over. It had been abruptly canceled by school superintendent Mary Ellen Walker, who had decided earlier that day to end the sports season for all Middletown teams. Walker said it was due to the increasing COVID case numbers in Middletown schools.

"Some of the girls started crying. I didn't think it was real," said Cigolini. "We were so excited; we were fighting for our title again. We had just played Long Branch on Tuesday, and won (7-0). It's hard for people to know how we feel."

Middletown is seeing higher case numbers in the past week than it saw in the worst of the virus in April. A young person in Middletown, their age not given, is currently hospitalized with COVID, said town administrator Anthony Mercantante. An 18-month-old baby has the virus.

Cigolini said she understands the virus is serious. But for young women on the field hockey team, it's also heartbreaking: Middletown South were the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group 3 champs in 2019. The team was getting ready to defend a championship title. That doesn't just happen every year. They had games scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday, games they were confident they would win.

Cigolini described the gauntlet of safety precautions Middletown student-athletes have had to go through every single day this fall:

"Every day before practice, we had to fill out a health form to make sure we had no symptoms. We wore masks in school. Our temperatures were taken before every practice. We tried not to hang out in big groups," she said. "We were trying to protect everyone, to keep everyone safe. We did everything they asked."

Since Friday, Cigolini has been a part of the Middletown teens and parents who have been protesting daily outside the Board of Education headquarters. She thought maybe by Monday, the superintendent would change her mind.

After all, the entire rest of the Shore Conference remains open. Schools in nearly all the nearby town are still playing: Colts Neck. Wall. Toms River. Even schools that have gone all-virtual, such as Woodbridge, are allowing their teams to finish the 2020 season.

And this was their championship.

"I thought they would change their decision," she said. "But obviously that's not how it went. Little did I know I would never practice again."

You can say field hockey is what got Cigolini through high school. She started playing as a freshman, and made the varsity team her sophomore year.

"I went to Bayshore Middle School, and when I got to high school I didn't know that many people," she said. "My teammates became my best friends. We hang out all the time. We practice every day, Monday through Saturday, for two and a half hours, and sometimes on Sundays. My four years were the best years for Middletown field hockey in a very long time."

Walker made the decision to end the season on her own, without requiring a vote by the entire Board of Ed. She ended the season after consulting with the Middletown Township Health Department. Neither she or Coach Hickman commented for this article.

But it was revealed at the Wednesday night Board of Education that COVID is rising among young people and children in town. Since Nov. 1, 20 percent of the town's cases are in those 19 and younger. A baby in Middletown has it; a Middletown young adult is currently in the hospital with COVID.

"We had a case just this morning of someone 18 months old who is now positive," said Mercantante at the Wednesday night meeting. "We have a young adult in town who is in the hospital right now with COVID. So, it can happen. And it can be a serious issue even for youngsters. I don't think any of us want our children or grandchildren to be one of those who winds up in the hospital with COVID, especially when it was probably avoidable."

On Thursday afternoon, some of the South girls went to watch Colts Neck play Allentown in the semifinals (Colts Neck won, 2-0). From there, Colts Neck will advance to play Central Regional in the championship game this weekend.

Cigolini said she will not be there. She can't bring herself to watch. Middletown was supposed to be playing that game. They've beaten Colts Neck twice this season.

"Colts Neck is our toughest competitor and we've beaten them both times," she said. "To see teams that you know you've beaten go on to win a state championship ..."

She trailed off.

"We worked all season for this and it just feels like we got left behind. That could have been us. That should have been us."

Related: Middletown Superintendent Stands By Decision To Shut Down Sports (Nov. 16)

Middletown Student-Athletes, Parents Furious With Sports Shutdown (Nov. 16)

Rise In Child COVID Cases Alarming Middletown Officials (Nov. 19)

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