MADISON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) — Since the Madison County baseball team lost in the Elite Eight last year, they've been waiting to avenge that loss and make it to State.
The Class of 2020 saw their season cut short, a tough ending to a spectacular four years.
An empty baseball field is all that's left of Madison County's season.
"When we left, I told them they're shutting it down for two weeks," said Jason Fletcher, a coach at Madison County. "'Take your stuff home, wash it, I'll see you guys in a couple weeks.'"
A couple of weeks turned into a canceled season thanks to COVID-19.
"They were devastated," Flecther said. "It was a tough pill for them to swallow."
Seven Cowboy seniors' time at Madison County is over.
"This group right here has played, if you want to talk about Class 1A, they've played the cream of the crop in Class 1A," said Fletcher.
Two times state-runners up and an Elite Eight finish, it's a group that helped pave the way for the future.
"One group builds on the next and I think they've laid their mark, left their legacy," Fletcher said.
Three will play in college, four played for the last time as a Cowboy, and all seven forever left their stamp on the Madison County program.
"I'm going to miss their passion for the game," said Fletcher. "They loved to play. They didn't care where it was at, what time it was, how hot it was, who they were playing, they just wanted to go compete. You can't ask for anything more than that."
Which is why not getting the ending they wanted stings a little bit more.
"It's things like this that help you set roots and grow from it and move on to be a better person," Fletcher said. "If I can make it through that and deal with that, I can make it through the next thing that comes up."
Roots that will always be traced back to Madison County.
Vinsonta Allen will play football and baseball at Edward Waters. Riley Borgert and Sam Odiorne will play baseball at Southern Union and Truett McConnell respectively. Marcus Roell, Brannon Tolar, Malik Bell, and Jay'vion Wills will focus on their careers.
