Local Digest: MJC bowl game postponed until Dec. 1; section cross county meet a go

Modesto Junior College coach Rusty Stivers said Friday both MJC and City College of San Francisco administrators discussed finding a neutral site for Saturday’s Golden State Bowl but in the end, postponing the game until Dec. 1 was the best option due to the wildfires in Northern California creating unhealthy air quality.

Stivers said an extra week of practice will benefit his players for recruiting.

“The main benefit is just exposure,” Stivers said. “This is the time of the year when recruiting traffic picks up and coaches will have more opportunities to see our players practice and play.”

The Gridiron Class Bowl (Santa Rosa at American River) and NorCal Grizzly Bowl (Sacramento City at Sierra) both postponed their games until Dec. 1 as well.

That Thursday is Thanksgiving is one reason why the postponement is two weeks instead of one.

MJC will practice on Monday and Tuesday next week before taking the rest of the week off.

CIF State NorCal Water Polo Championships canceled

Sonora coach Matt Personius had just finished loading up the van and was about to head to Clovis for the CIF State NorCal Water Polo championships on Friday when he got the news the event had been canceled as a result of poor air quality caused by the fires in Northern California.

“It’s a bummer, what can you do?” Personius said. “We were excited about the tournament and getting a chance to prove ourselves beyond the region. We felt like we were playing great water polo.”

Sonora was coming off a CIF Sac-Joaquin Division III title with a 9-3 victory over Tokay.

Personius said he received an email from the commissioner with the reasons why the event was canceled and why postponing the event was not a option.

“A lot of these schools, they have nowhere to practice because the air quality is so bad,” Personius said. “If it was delayed a week, a lot of these schools would be unable to practice. It’s bad luck.”

Oakdale boys, who lost to Christian Brothers in the Division III final, also was scheduled to participate.

Cross Country championships remain on schedule

The section cross country championships remain on schedule for Saturday morning in Folsom, assistant commissioner Will DeBoard said on Friday as the AQI (Air Quality Index) is lower in Folsom — which is 25 miles east of Sacramento — than other neighboring cities.

Folsom’s AQI was in the moderate range on Friday compared to Sacramento and Elk Grove, which were in the unhealthy and very unhealthy categories. Folsom’s AQI at 2 p.m. was 70, while Sacramento’s was 214.

DeBoard said it remains a “day-of decision” and they will check the AQI again on Saturday morning.

If the AQI climbs above 150 before any races are run, times will be used from the sub-section meet to determine what teams qualify for the state championships in Fresno next weekend. If the AQI reaches 150 during any of the races, all subsequent races will be called off and sub-section times will be used.

The races will be combined divisions and will be as followed:

9 a.m. : Division I and II boys

9:35 a.m.: Division I and II girls

10:00 a.m.: Division III, IV, and V boys

10:35 a.m.: Division III, IV, and V girls