Welcome back high school sports fans; you were definitely missed this year

Big crowds showed up for the CIF baseball finals at Blair Field in Long Beach and at Cal State Fullerton, including this turnout for the Division 6 game between La Habra and Elsinore. (Photo TIm Burt, OC Sports Zone)

COMMENTARY

While there were some extremely challenging times during the 2021 high school sports season due to the coronavius pandemic, the finish was definitely one to remember.

Attendance was tremendous at the CIF finals events as fan capacity was raised just in time after limitations that had been placed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It was undoubtedly just the kind of finish that CIF officials had hoped for.

It also showed how much the fans had been missed.

We remember covering a baseball game at Segerstrom High School, where fans had to be on a list to attend a game and were required to wear masks. It was the right thing to do.

Spring forward a month later to Cal State Fullerton where large crowds attended the CIF baseball finals and the softball finals at Bill Barber Park.

It was quite a contrast to the start of the abbreviated football season where players played in front of mainly family and friends. No bands, not many cheerleaders.

Or to the basketball season when an athletic director from an Orange County school had to turn away fans from a rivals school due to capacity limits.

It got better later in the basketball season with fans packing into small venues, including ones at Crean Lutheran and Calvary Chapel for CIF basketball finals.

It was great to see fans, and talk to them at games again. They play such a big part of high school sports and we hope to see many scenes like the picture above when high school sports resumes in August.

Welcome back fans; you were missed.

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