Mike Martin was excited when Ar-Ken Youth Football and Cheer, which represents Arnold and New Kensington in Westmoreland County, agreed to join the Big East Youth Football League.

“We were pumped up,” said Martin, the organization’s president. “At the end of the day, we felt the decision was the best for our kids, knowing the competition was some of the best around.”

Ar-Ken was slated to begin play in the league this fall with returning members Latrobe and Penn Hills and mainstays Gateway, Jeannette, Plum, McKeesport, Woodland Hills, Penn-Trafford, Franklin Regional and Kiski Area.

But the 2020 BEYFL season will not happen.

League officials, with support from the 11 member organizations, decided Tuesday evening to call off the season amid concerns with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, including the recent reports of a spike in cases in several Southwestern Pennsylvania counties.

“We had talked back and forth on Zoom a lot, the executive board and the teams,” BEYFL president Sam Denillo Jr. said.

“We communicated a lot about what the situation was and what we might be able to do. We thought we might be able to get the season in. With everything spiking again and the concerns for the safety of everyone involved, we felt this was what was best for all of our families, the players, the cheerleaders, the volunteers, the coaches.”

Denillo said he understands the disappointment that will come with a decision such as this.

“It wasn’t something that any of us wanted to do. We want football. It certainly wasn’t an easy decision, whatsoever,” he said.

“Again, we are looking out for the safety of our programs and families. We’re just trying to do the best we can do under the circumstances.”

In a message sent to the teams from the BEYFL Board of Directors, a goal has been set to “meet and plan to potentially create opportunities for small-group activities later this year.”

“We just started talking about that,” Denillo said. “Nothing is set. We have to see what we are allowed to do and what we are able to do.”

Denillo said events such as honoring the players and cheerleaders in their final year of eligibility will be up to the individual league members.

Leagues such as the BEYFL were given the go-ahead to plan for fall seasons with designated guidelines and safety measures in place when Gov. Tom Wolf moved Pennsylvania to the green phase June 5.

A number of other athletic events and seasons at all levels already have been canceled, or discussions are ongoing as to their status in the atmosphere of covid-19 uncertainty.

“It was such a tough decision that had to be made,” Martin said. “As a whole, it was decided that everyone’s safety was the most important thing.”

The BEYFL features four football divisions: flag football for those ages 5-6 and tackle in 7-8, 9-10 and 11-12 age divisions.

Conditioning workouts were slated to begin later this month with the season set to start the weekend of Aug. 22. Each team was scheduled to face the other 10 teams with playoffs in late October.

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