High school sports delay hits kids: Rocklin football player expects ‘rough’ choice

Toran O’Harran is in the same position as all multi-sport athletes in Sacramento — he doesn’t know what the future holds and if he will have to pick one sport over the other.

The standout Rocklin High School junior is verbally committed to Stanford to play baseball but also plays football on the varsity football team. He has played both sports since he was 8 years old.

Four months ago, O’Harran was looking forward to a successful baseball season at Rocklin. His team was ranked No. 9 preseason by The Bee, but after just five games, the season ended due to rising coronavirus numbers. The cancellation of the season didn’t mark the end of his prep career — but it did for all seniors across the state.

“It was tough not being able to play a full season because (our team) knew we were going to make a (playoff) run,” O’Harran said. “I really felt for all the seniors who might not get to play at the next level or ever play again. I felt worse for them than myself.”

Playing sports year-round is routine for O’Harran and for most teenage athletes. The decision from the California Interscholastic Federation on Monday to delay fall sports to January and put fall, winter and spring sports into a five-month span could limit athletes from competing in multiple sports.

“It’s really tough because I’ve always played baseball and football,” O’Harran said. “It’s weird to even think about not playing both. At this point, it’s more of a lifestyle because after football season ends, it’s all about baseball. I’ve never had to worry about just picking one. It’s going to be a tough decision.”

O’Harran added, “It’s tough because kids who have played multiple sports have always done it, which makes It will be a super hard decision. A lot of my friends will have to make that kind of decision (with me). It’s going to be a rough one.”

Playing multiple sports at Rocklin is encouraged by football coach Jason Adams. He hopes the CIF adopts a model that allows multi-sport athletes to compete in all their respective seasons.

“It’s our job to provide an opportunity for those kids to have as many experiences on our campus as possible,” Adams said “There are always people that will say if you focus this much on one sport over another, your chances of reaching the next level are better but at the end of the day, these are life experiences for our kids. If our kids say they want to play basketball and football, we are going to find a way to make it happen.

Adams added later, “As adults, we know they need as many positive influences in their life as possible. Sports give us that avenue that we can connect with them. They have a passion for sports and (as a coach) you can teach them life lessons through that. ... We still hear word on the street if a kid is making a bad decision or something is going on at home. Sometimes that’s when high school kids lean on (us coaches) the most.”

During the offseason, O’Harran gained nearly 30 pounds. He did that by eating five meals a day and using his neighbors’ home gym to lift during the state’s stay-at-home order. Next month, he will represent the Oakland Athletics and Northern California in the Area Code Baseball games in Atlanta.

The Area Code Games features 220 of the top high school players in the country from the 2021 and 2022 classes. For some of those players, it could be the first time they have played in an organized game since March.

“It’s a huge honor,” O’Harran said. “I’m just excited to see some competition again. It’s been such a long time since we have been able to compete on such a high level.”

Prep athletes in California will have to wait at least until January to play in a high school athletic event, barring further delays and cancellations because of the coronavirus. When sports do return, it’s bound to be a special moment for all.

“Everyone, especially me, is going to appreciate it way more,” O’Harran said. “We all will realize how easy it can be taken away. There will be a lot of butterflies and everyone will be kind of nervous because no one (has played) in a long time. Everyone will appreciate sports more in general when they come back.”

This story was originally published July 20, 2020 at 9:07 AM.