Hurricane Matthew has nixed most, if not all sports this week. Washington announced Tuesday that all athletics for the week had been cancelled. Northside and Southside have been canceling and postponing games as they approach.

Washington and Southside have both already made the decision to postpone Friday’s football games. Both were slated to host games. The Seahawks will play on Monday, and the Pam Pack has yet to determine a date.

The flooding is making a mess of all sorts of schedules and makes it hard to get around, but there’s no sense in wasting the time. The Pam Pack football team understands this. The boys have been gathering for voluntary practices, even if that is only light workouts or brief film sessions.

The point, according to athletic director Jon Blank, is to do their best in keeping the players sharp and in game shape.

All fall athletes can use the time off of school to stay in shape. Volleyball, soccer and cross country are all coming up on the ends of their respective seasons. Beaufort County could be behind the curve once the fast-approaching playoffs arrive if strides aren’t made to stay in game condition. Even drills as simple as dribbling a soccer ball or hitting the volleyball around will help keep players from missing a beat.

It’s not just athletes that should take advantage of the time off of school. With the semester winding down, this week off could be a prime chance to catch up on any work one may be behind on. Moreover, this is a bad point in the semester to fall behind, too.

Beaufort County’s athletes have enjoyed plenty of success this fall. Even little drills and workouts will help make sure the momentum isn’t lost this week. That same principle holds true for the local students that are out of school, too.