Oakdale football penalized 6 practices for violating non-contact rule

The Oakdale High School football team has been penalized by the Sac-Joaquin Section for violating a new CIF state bylaw that prohibits full-contact drills and practices during the offseason.

The Mustangs must forfeit six practices by Sept. 30 after engaging in contact drills at a three-day camp at Placer High in Auburn in June. The penalty affects only Oakdale’s varsity team since the lower-level programs weren’t at the camp.

“It’s tough. You’re going to miss those practices,” Oakdale athletic director Dave Bacigalupi said. “You never want to miss practice at the start of the year. Six is a lot. We haven’t decided what we’re going to do. It changes the continuity and what you’re accustomed to.”

In all, nine programs were punished, including the four at the Placer camp: Oakdale,Placer, Sacramento and Inderkum. Del Oro, Whitney, Woodcreek, El Camino and Lincoln also received sanctions.

“I understand, but I wish the section would have looked around,” Bacigalupi said. “There were a lot of camps and a lot of teams” struggling with the new guidelines.

“I know it wasn’t malice. People weren’t trying to break the rules. People just wanted to play football, and (policing contact) was a difficult thing to do.”

Section Commissioner Michael Garrison said the penalty was derived from the section’s longstanding “2-for-1” precedent for practice violations. The practices must be forfeited during the week, Monday through Friday.

State law prohibits California high school football teams from participating in contact drills during the offseason and limits them to two days of full-contact practices per week during the season.

Garrison doesn’t believe there was a wanton disregard for the non-contact policies set in motion by the state Assembly and Gov. Jerry Brown.

The bill, AB 2127, was introduced by Assemblyman Ken Cooley of Rancho Cordova and signed into law by Brown in July 2014. The law went into effect Jan. 1, and the CIF state office and its constituency adopted it shortly thereafter.

The high school policy is the latest thread in a global concern surrounding the concussion issue and football at every level.

Garrison believes the coaches at each site had the best intentions, but play spiraled beyond their control.

The Auburn Journal reported that Placer player Morgan Robinson was subject to a “high-low” spearing by Sacramento players. It was reportedly a retaliation for a run by Robinson a few plays earlier in which bowled through a defender.

“I think their intent was do it the right way,” Garrison said, speaking in general terms. “They were trying to abide by it, but when things unfolded, they didn’t unfold that way.”

The non-contact policy will be a hot topic at the section’s next board meeting Oct. 7 and likely beyond. Garrison said they’ll examine the validity of team camps during the offseason, among other issues.

“We’ll have conversations throughout the year about football camps and contact,” he said. “This isn’t just a summer issue. They can only have 90 minutes two days a week, so it can be an issue during the regular season, too.

“It’s a steep learning curve.”

This story was originally published August 11, 2015 at 4:52 PM with the headline "Oakdale football penalized 6 practices for violating non-contact rule."