It’s time for high school football! Not what we’re used to but players finally get their chances

Laguna Hills fans look on during Thursday’s scrimmage between Beckman and Laguna Hills at Tustin High. (Photo courtesy Mark Bausman, For OC Sports Zone)

Last time we had a chance to report on an actual high football for OC Sports Zone was Dec. 14, 2019 when Corona del Mar defeated JSerra 35-27 to capture the CIF State 1A title.

It’s been a while, so here’s a look back at that exciting game.

Little did any of us know what would happen next that a world-wide pandemic would change our lives so much and so many lives would be lost. Part of the change was the stoppage of most sports in March 2020, including high school sports. The last high school sports event we covered was the Pacific Coast League baseball opener beteen Woodbridge and Irvine last March.

We want to look forward here, to hopefully better times ahead for all. An effective vaccine is here, coronavirus case numbers are declining and 2021 is looking better. But we do want to acknowledge the thousands of lives lost and the people who are still suffering from this dreaded disease. Their families are definitely in our thouights and prayers.

We also tip our hats to the doctors, nurses and first responders who have been so dedicated and courageous.

Some thoughts about football starting up this weekend:

THE GAMES

There was one game Thursday night with El Modena defeating Canyon 45-0. There’s a full schedule of contests Friday night and many more games next week. Two games have already been cancelled: the La Habra at Mission Viejo contest and the St. Anthony at Lakewood game.

Mandatory drug testing was required this week to make sure the athletes are safe and safety guidelines will need to be followed.

We’re happy for the football players, who never gave up and their supportive coaches, athletic directors and parents. It’s been tough on parents too. Hats off to the ADs, the principals, the trainers, CIF officials (including Southern Section commissioner Rob Wigod and assistant commissioner Thom Simmons), the Let Them Play CA organization and others. You won’t see or hear their names mentioned, but they deserve a lot of credit.

We also understand the concerns that many people seem to have about football being played during a pandemic. Sadly, people are still dying and getting infected from the coronavirus. Hopefully, the safety measures pay off and everyone will continue to follow guidelines and be safe. There is no guarantee this will all work out. But we have to trust the process that it wil.

SOME ADJUSTMENTS

Don’t know about you, but we sure weren’t expecting football to be starting in March, about a month after cross country began. Or that it would happen around the same time baseball was starting.

So, we’re all going to have to get used to that.

Also, the games won’t look the same. Generally speaking, attendance will be limited to two spectators per player. Cheerleaders may be there at some games. Whether bands will be there remains to be seen. It’s likely fans who are there will have to bring their own water and snacks. Concession stands may not be open.

So, the atmosphere and the sounds will be different. But again, it’s a chance for dedicated high school players to showcase their talents. Many are hoping to attract the attention of college programs during a short window.

OTHERS SET TONE

Let’s not forget about the athletes who have already started their seasons. Cross country and tennis athletes started back in early February, and although they haven’t gotten much attention, their dedication is admirable. Pacific Coast League athletic directors and coaches put together an exception plan to have dual meets on Saturdays at different host schools, and the meets have gone well, showcasing some of the top athletes in the area. Crean Lutheran hosted its first cross country meet on campus and that went well.

So, these athletes really led the way in the return of sports.

MEDIA COVERAGE

It looks like there will be plenty of coverage of high school football in Southern California. Reporters and photographers received a lenghty list of safety guidelines from the CIF. Reporters must wear masks at all times, maintain proper social distancing and bring hand sanitizer. OC Sports Zone has been issued its usual allotment of credentials for its third season and is planning coverage while strictly adhering to the safety guidelines. The final decision on whether to admit a media member is up to each school, and we have gone through the proper protocol.

We will have updates throughout the night and then game coverage and photos late Friday night and into Saturday, when most football fans appear to have time to check out the coverage.

We also have a football scoreboard at the top of our desktop site which will be updated, so we invite you to check that out. Our site remains free to all!

We’re guessing every media outlet is facing tremendous challenges with so many games on one night and other sports going on as well. We’re in the same boat. Speaking for OC Sports Zone, we can’t be everywhere. But that doesn’t mean we can’t share the exciting moments of your team’s games. As in past seasons, we again ask coaches or team representatives to help us out, now more than ever this special spring season.

It’s easy to do:

—-Step one is to email the final score to us Friday night or Saturday morning.

—-Step two is to send a small recap of the game with first and last names along with a photo. We also accept team pictures from after the game. Readers love photos and we would love to share them. Please identify players (first and last names) and indicated who took the picture.

The email address is timburt@ocsportzone.com and we look forward to hearing from you. And yes, we work late Friday night and into the weekend!

Please follow us on Twitter: @ocsportszone.com

Please be safe and enjoy the return of high school football!

—-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com

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