Fresno-area high school football coaches ramp up lobbying for return to field
A group of Fresno-area high school football coaches are lobbying for a return to play — if coronavirus cases decrease.
Don Arax (Bullard), Kyle Biggs (Central), Rich Hammond (Clovis) and Rustin Pickett (Hoover) are spearheading the “Coalition of San Joaquin Valley Coaches” and will hold a news conference at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Bullard High football field.
The coaches say they have four different schedules that would allow the return of football beginning with practice as early as Feb. 8.
They coaches say they’re pushing for a season because they see a lack of coordination between school districts, the California Interscholastic Federation governing body, county health agencies and California state officials as to when sports can resume.
“As a result, there is no plan that looks ahead to spring when the pandemic might ease its grip and allow even contact sports to be played safely,” the coaches say in a statement promising more information during the news conference.
High school football hasn’t been played in the Central Section since the 2019 season.
It has been 10 months since any high school sports were played in California. Sports were halted in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Fall and winter sports were pushed to potentially early 2021, but that start time is up in the air as a nearly statewide shutdown continues because of rising COVID-19 cases and deaths.
Much of California including the Central Section is in the most-restrictive purple tier regulating acceptable business and social conduct. Football is listed in the orange (moderate risk) tier, two steps below high-risk purple.
Arax wants 2021 season pushed back
Arax conceded that the region will never get to the orange tier before summer, but he would like to see football be reassigned to the red tier (substantial risk). Other sports listed in the red tier include baseball, softball and girls lacrosse.
Earlier Tuesday, Central Section commissioner Ryan Tos said in a news release that section playoffs and championship events for football, cross country, girls volleyball and water polo are canceled.
Those sports could still have a regular season if the pandemic eases. But if football were to be played, the section has a mandated end date of April 17 to preserve a three-month break before the July 19 first-practice date for the 2021 fall season.
Arax doesn’t agree with that.
“We’re having the press conference to speak on behalf of the kids,” Arax said. “Professional educators will always throw these platitudes that if it’s good for the kids that we will do it or it’s about the kids. None of this is about the kids right now. Why would you, when there is time left, cancel a season in January or February or why would you place a drop-dead date?
“Why would the CIF not consider pushing back the next season? Who cares if we started in mid-September? Even if we had to give up a couple preseason games next year, let’s give it up. This is about our kids. It is breaking my heart and the hearts of other coaches.”
Alternative spring football plan
The coalition coaches say if the flattening of cases occurs in early spring, football practice would begin on Feb. 8 with seven nonleague and league games and three playoff weeks. If the flattening occurs in later spring, football practice would begin on March 22, with five league games and two playoff weeks.
The coaches say they met during Zoom meetings and shared stories of what they’ve seen from their players.
“I have seen first-hand my student-athletes battle depression, high anxiety and in some cases suicidal thoughts,” Pickett says in the news release. “We have to be prepared to give these kids an outlet when the COVID-19 numbers come down. To me, it’s not a question of if we play, but when can we safely fit in an abbreviated season.”
A look at guidelines
The CIF, which has based much of its decision from guidelines provided by the California Department of Public Health, has proposed to resume sports Jan. 25.
Under current guidelines, sports such as cross country, golf, swimming and diving, tennis and track and field are allowed to begin in counties that are in the purple tier.
But for other sports to resume, the spread of the coronavirus would have to drop so counties could move to lower tiers.
“We know there are some things that are out of our control,” Arax said. “The things that we can control and do the righteous things for kids, we need to take every opportunity and do the right thing for these kids. In our opinion, we’re not doing that right now.”
This story was originally published January 19, 2021 at 4:53 PM with the headline "Fresno-area high school football coaches ramp up lobbying for return to field."
