CIF-SS cancels Fall sports playoffs, championships for 2021 season
The California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section announced Tuesday that it has been forced to cancel Fall sports playoffs and championships for the 2020-2021 season.
FALL SPORTS: To be clear, the Fall sports regular season is NOT cancelled, just the playoffs and championships.
CIF-SS Commissioner Rob Wigod says not enough progression has been made in stopping the spread of the virus. He went as far as saying this "may be darkest period throughout the 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic."
Wigod also said that with no postseason, CIF-SS member schools can now focus on formulating their schedule, if and when, competition is allowed. Below are the Fall sports with their end dates for the regular season.
- Boys/Girls Cross-Country - Saturday, March 27, 2021.
- 8-Man Football - Saturday, April 3, 2021
- 11-Man Football - Saturday, April 17, 2021
- Girls Volleyball - Saturday, March 20, 2021
- Boys/Girls Water Polo - Saturday, March 20, 2021
As of right now, all counties in the Southern Section are in the purple tier, meaning significant widespread infection.
High school sports will remain on hold until the virus is slowed and state regulations are lifted. The CIF yields to the state on this matter, specifically the California Department of Public Health which has deemed it not safe to hold prep and youth sports competitions.
With that said, Wigod remains steadfast in his optimism and support for high school sports to return to play.
"We strongly support our member schools in returning to play, provided the guidelines distributed by the CDPH and local health authorities are adhered to. We will continue to do all we can to advocate our position to those entities."
SPRING SPORTS: Despite the Fall sports update, Spring sports are still scheduled as the same per the CIF-SS release in July.
STATE LETTER: In addition to the announcement by CIF-SS, the CIF State office released a letter to member schools on Tuesday. This was a stern reminder about mandatory compliance with CIF bylaws and CDPH guidance.
Stay with KESQ News Channel 3 for the latest on our local high school sports and this developing situation.
