Ready for some more high school football? it’s not too far away as CIF calendar set

Santa Ana players take the field before their Orange Coast League showdown with Orange in April. Santa Ana won the league title. (File photo: Fernando M. Donado, For OC Sports Zone)

It was certainly a high school sports season like no other and it’s just about finished, except for regional playoffs in baseball and softball.

The 2020-2021 high school sports season presented numerous challenges in the county and throughout the state due to the coronavirus pandemic with schedules being re-arranged and an abbreviated football season starting in March.

CIF Southern Section Commissioner Rob Wigod and his staff had to monitor the pandemic and adjust schedules accordingly.

Basketball was among the sports that had seasons delayed. Southern California regional playoffs wrapped up last weekend, the same weekend that CIF baseball and softball finals were held.

As of now, the schedules for the 2021-22 seasons will be similiar to what they were before the pandemic, according to the calendar for the school year released Tuesday by the CIF Southern Section.

In fact, the start of the next football season is only a couple months away.

Practices can start on Aug. 2 for teams that have week zero games and Aug. 9 for teams that open in the first week.

Week zero games are scheduled to begin Aug. 20 and week one games on Aug. 27.

CIF playoffs are scheduled for Nov. 5, 12 and 19 with the finals on either Nov. 26 or Nov. 27.

Starting dates for other fall sports listed by the CIF are Aug. 23 for girls golf, Aug. 23 for girls tennis, Aug. 14 for girls volleyball, Aug. 23 for boys water polo and Sept. 2 for cross country.

Starting dates for winter and spring sports are also similar to what they were before the pandemic.

So, in terms of scheduling, it looks like athletes, coaches and fans can expect a more normal athletic schedule.

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