Update: Here’s what the start of high school sports looks like in Stanislaus County
High school sports in California, including football, took a big step toward a near-full return Friday as the California Department of Public Health released new guidelines, allowing competition to begin in a week in counties in the Purple or Red tiers with a case rate at or below 14 per 100,000 residents.
Unfortunately for Stanislaus, San Joaquin and Merced counties, who are in the Purple tier and whose rates hover above 20 cases per 100,000 residents, they will have to wait. However, signs point to an early to mid-March start if current decreasing COVID-19 infection trends continue.
Nearby Tuolumne County is one of six of the 16 counties within the Sac-Joaquin Section that would be able to begin outdoor high-contact and moderate contact sports when the new guidelines take effect on Feb. 26.
Outdoor high-contact sports include football, boys and girls soccer and boys and girls water polo. Moderate contact sports include baseball and softball. Schools already are competing in cross country, tennis and golf.
Indoor high-contact sports such as basketball and wrestling can only be played in yellow-tiered counties, of which there are none currently among the state’s 58.
Sonora football coach Bryan Craig, whose team is in Tuolumne County, said the Mother Lode League is meeting Monday to discuss the guidelines.
The MLL has schools in three counties – Tuolumne, Calaveras and Amador – creating some complications. Amador and Tuolumne counties meet the standards. Calaveras does not.
According to the guidelines, “both teams have to have the sport allowed in both of their counties.”
In a press release, the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section said the first week of football games could be March 12 for counties that are allowed to begin practice this week.
Escalon is in San Joaquin County along with Ripon and Ripon Christian and Cougars coach Andrew Beam said Friday’s news brought a “glimmer of hope” to his team and all football players in the state.
“I feel for every kid ... they needed some light at the end of the tunnel,” Beam said. “We are trending in the right direction.”
Like the MLL, the Valley Oak League, which Escalon, Ripon and Ripon Christian joined for this year only, has schools in two counties (San Joaquin and Stanislaus) so it could have the same problem as the MLL.
“Our kids are willing to play anyone just to get back on the field,” Beam said.
Athletes and coaches in football and water polo will be required to have weekly testing with results released within 24 hours of competition.
Baseball and softball can be played without the testing requirement.
While the news isn’t great for Stanislaus County athletes, coaches, and fans, the chances of football this year increased dramatically with Friday’s announcement.
Teams in all sports are required to practice five times before games with the exception of football, which is required to have 14 days of practice before competition.
The last football games must be played by April 17 but Sac-Joaquin Section Assistant Commissioner Will DeBoard said there will be a discussion at an executive board meeting in two weeks about possibly pushing the season end date back.
Central Coast, Los Angeles, and Northern Sections have end dates for May 1.
If Stanislaus County can meet the criteria by next week or the first week of March, schools could have a three-to four-game season.
“If we start practicing on March 8, we would have three weeks to practice and three weeks to play games,” Big Valley Christian coach Brian Berkefeld said earlier this month.
During competition, measures must be taken to the “greatest extent possible” with regard to face coverings and physical distancing during play along with hygiene and sanitation, limitations on mixing participants, travel considerations and testing (antigen or PCR).
CAPS club football league president Phil Grams said the league will continue but players are “welcome” to leave their club team and play for their high school.
“We (CAPS) are never disbanding,” Grams said. “I don’t believe there is enough time (for high school football season) but today was a step in the right direction.”
This story was originally published February 19, 2021 at 10:28 AM.
