CIF Southern Section cancels playoffs for football
The CIF Southern Section canceled its playoffs for football and the rest of the fall sports on Tuesday, Jan. 19 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Southern Section is the largest high school section in the state and features nearly…
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Continue ReadingThe CIF Southern Section canceled its playoffs for football and the rest of the fall sports on Tuesday, Jan. 19 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Southern Section is the largest high school section in the state and features nearly 600 schools.
The reason for the cancelation is to create more time to potentially play regular-season games. Removing the playoffs effects a handful of programs that had a chance to win a CIF championship, but the goal appears to be to have every team get to play as many games as possible in the short window available.
Commissioner Rob Wigod called the cancelation “regretful” but maintained that there is still hope for football and all of the fall sports to occur.
“Today’s announcement at least allows even more time that’s potentially available for (them) to get competition,” Wigod said during a teleconference with media. “It’s not over. I don’t believe that it is. There is still time left in our fall sports, approximately two months.”
The Los Angeles City Section also announced the cancelation of fall sports playoffs, except that the section aims to hold cross country finals on March 27.
Currently, their is a regional stay-at-home order in Southern California due to intensive care units at hospitals being filled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Once the stay-at-home order is lifted, schools will be able to compete in sports approved under the guidance of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), which groups activities into the state’s colored tier system for monitoring the virus. In the Southern Section, all seven of its counties are also in the purple tier (widespread risk) and the counties will have to be in the orange tier (moderate risk) for football to be able to be played.
As of right now the football regular season must end on or by April 17, but Wigod said that the season could be extended two weeks until April 30.
CIF Southern Section Update: January 19, 2021
Fall Sports Championships – Spring Sports StatusIn response to this update, we will hold a live press conference today with members of the media on YouTube at 1pm. pic.twitter.com/vDHCQ9dq1H
— CIF Southern Section (@CIFSS) January 19, 2021
The last time the Southern Section football playoffs were canceled was in 1945 due to World War II.
Last week, a group called Let Them Play CA held rallies across various cities in California from Chula Vista all the way to Sacramento urging the state’s government to allow high school athletics to resume.
“We are, of course, deeply disappointed,” #LetThemPlayCA organizer Ken Elliott of Oceanside told Southern California News Group (SCNG). “We believe that sports can be restored safely, and that the continued cessation of sports is causing irreparable harm to the physical and mental health of our children.”
Right now, football teams are permitted to hold conditioning workouts and skills training practices during the stay-at-home order. But the order limits the teams’ ability to weight train in the schools’ weight rooms or share equipment.
“I feel bad for our seniors, but it’s time to bite the bullet and plan for the fall,” Don Lugo football coach Greg Gano told SCNG. “How are we going to start playing? We haven’t lifted a weight in half a year. We haven’t thrown a football in half a year. Our district has been strict and we’ve followed the guidelines, and it takes about five or six weeks to prepare to play a game, to make it safe and have guys ready and we just don’t have that time.”
Other coaches are more optimistic after the announcement because it means that there is a chance that every team will be able to play some games except for a smaller amount of schools benefitting from a playoff system.
“So I am obviously excited that CIF has given us the opportunity to still be able to compete and not cancel the season,” Segerstrom coach Joe Tagaloa told OCSportsZone. “I understand that in order for us to actually get on the field, we are going to need some help, but at least there is still a chance.”
“This was expected. It allows us more time to play more games for all schools. This season is not about playing for a CIF championship, it’s about perseverance and the ability to get out there and play with your team,” Laguna Hills coach Mike Maceranka said.