*Photo courtesy of Dave Burbank/Cornell Athletics*
After nearly six months, the coronavirus pandemic is still infiltrating its way into the sports world, postponing and cancelling games and, in some instances, entire seasons along the way.
The 2020 Ivy League fall football season was no exception to the pandemic, as the league postponed the fall season.
Jake Stebbins, a Seneca Valley graduate and linebacker for the Cornell Big Red, held out hope amid the inevitable.
"We actually had a call scheduled for that night [of the season's postponement], where we were supposed to find out about the league's ruling. But before that happened, I saw a bunch of posts on Twitter about how we [Cornell] cancelled our season. It was kind of weird to think that people on Twitter knew before the people whose seasons got cancelled knew," Stebbins told me, reflecting upon the day.
Nonetheless, the ruling was not the outcome Stebbins and his teammates had hoped for.
"I was pretty devastated by the news. We'd kept hope alive that we'd be able to play, even if it was conference games only. It's really weird for me right now because this is the first fall since I was six years old that I'm not playing football," said Stebbins.
After postponing fall sports, the league did not rule out the possibility of playing its season in the spring of 2021. Stebbins is adjusting his schedule as if his Big Red will take the field in a few months.
"With all of the rules about COVID in New York right now, we aren't allowed to get in the weight room. The biggest difference is that I'm spending more time on the field doing field work than I ever have at this point of preparation. I have to just do whatever I can," Stebbins indicated.
Stebbins, who was set to enter his sophomore season in Ithaca, shined in his freshman campaign of 2019, ranking fourth among all FCS freshman in sacks, while also earning a spot on the second team All-Ivy League. The honors were more than Stebbins could have ever expected.
"Coming into last year, my first thought was that I wanted to make the travel squad and be the best teammate I can be. I really didn't expect to have the year that I had, but I'm really grateful that God gave me the opportunity and ability to do what I could to help the team," Stebbins said, while also crediting the "great upperclassmen leadership and coaching in the linebacker room" for his success.
During the 2019 season, Cornell went 4-6, with a 3-4 mark in Ivy League play. The Big Red's 20-17 victory over rival Dartmouth on November 16 stood out in Stebbins' mind.
"We knew our defense was at the top of the league, but we really showed it that game. To beat #11-ranked Dartmouth and spoil their perfect season felt really special. That was also the game in which I injured my elbow, so to see that it was worth it to get our signature win made me feel amazing," Stebbins exclaimed.
Stebbins is acutely aware of the historical significance of the stadiums and campuses in which he gets to play during Ivy League conference play.
"I think it's really cool to play in all of these Ivy League stadiums just because of all of the history they all have. Last year, we went to Yale, Harvard, Penn and Dartmouth. Aside from Dartmouth, the others had a real historic vibe that just made you think about everything that's happened there," Stebbins said.
During the recruiting process, Stebbins and Cornell became a party of mutual interest.
"I was looking at all of the Ivy League schools, but Cornell was the only school that showed real interest in me and showed me that they wanted me. They were really the ones who believed in me, and I really appreciated that. At Cornell, the people here are real and genuine. They don't care who you are or where you're from. They're just nice to you," Stebbins explained.
The defensive standout was an anchor of the 2016 and 2018 Seneca Valley Raiders' teams that made it to the WPIAL 6A Football Championship.
Stebbins had nothing to say but good things about his time in Harmony, while also explaining that the school set him up perfectly for the rigors of attending an Ivy League school.
"Seneca has plenty of AP and CHS courses to choose from, so I was able to challenge myself and really learn as much as I could before I moved onto college. The teachers were all so brilliant and they really prepared me," Stebbins indicated.
His experience on the field also shaped that growth and transition, however.
"Playing football at the 6A level is as close to college football as high school gets. I was playing against 6'5", 290-pound linemen every week, so it wasn't a big difference to move into FCS football as it was for people from smaller schools," Stebbins said.
Stebbins also made sure to applaud a man who built him into the star he has become in Ithaca, New York.
"I had arguably the best defensive coordinator in the state for my junior and senior year. Coach McFeeley always expected the most out of us and he really prepared me well for college ball," Stebbins said.
While much remains certain in the lives of so many right now, one thing remains the main focus for Stebbins.
"I have to prepare like we are going to have a spring season."
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