CIF commissioner provides update on possibility of post-season competition for some sports

CIF Southern Section Commissioner Rob Wigod provided an update Monday on the status of high school sports for the rest of the school year.

All sports were delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic but some sports started to return in January and football is under way with an abbreviated schedule that runs through the middle of April.

In an email sent to principals and athletic directors and shared with the media, Wigod indicated that he plans to provide an update on post-season competition for outdoor sports no later Tuesday, April 13 when the CIF Southern Section Council meeting is scheduled

“As before, with the decision we had to make related to Season 1 Section Championships, there are two necessary factors that will influence the decision on whether we can conduct Season 2 Section Championships or not,” Wigod said. “First, whether our leagues will be able to have viable league play to determine entries into playoff competition and the situation related to travel restrictions among the eight counties within the Southern Section footprint. 

“For our outdoor sports in Season 2, there is a strong possibility that this can be accomplished. For our indoor sports, it may not be as possible right now, but hopefully, the situation will improve in the time ahead and allow for those sports to complete league play. We will continue to monitor the situation with our leagues to see their progress in that regard.”

Wigod explained that travel restrictions could affect the playoffs. 

“The current situation involving travel limitations within our section will be extremely important, in terms of our ability to conduct section championships for season 2 sports,” he said. “That issue manifests itself in two ways. One applies to team sports, such as boys/girls soccer, baseball, softball, etc.

“Will schools be allowed to travel across county lines beyond their adjoining county? For example, will a school from Ventura County be permitted to travel to Orange County for a playoff contest or would a school from San Bernardino County be permitted to travel to Santa Barbara County for a game? The other situation with travel involves individual sports, such as boys/grls swimming/diving, boys/girls track and field, etc. Will a local health authority in a particular county approve a Southern Section Championship event, which would include student-athletes and coaches from all eight counties within the Southern Section, travelling to one location for that championship?

“For example, will Los Angeles County permit El Camino College to host our Track and Field Championships at that venue? The questions regarding team sports and individual sports will have to be answered in the time ahead for us to make a definitive decision on Section Championships.”

Wigod said that all the season one sports were played in some form, although there was no post-season competition for football, water polo and cross country.

“I can state that all our Season 1 sports were able to be played in some form. While we were not able to have full regular seasons or conduct Southern Section Championships for Season 1, the opportunities for student-athletes to participate in boys/girls cross-country, field hockey, football, girls volleyball and boys/girls water polo have been able to happen. As of last weekend, all our season 2 sports have started as originally planned and are on course to proceed through their regular seasons.

“While there are still some limitations in place, per California Department of Public Health guidelines, there is more work to do and we are continuing our dialogue with the CDPH and the Governor’s Office toward revising current guidelines in our ongoing effort to move return to play forward for Season 2 sports.”