Decision Due on Friday’s City Games

More high school athletic events have been canceled or postponed in the wake of the Southland’s fires, and City Section Commissioner Barbara Fiege is expected to announce today whether football games scheduled for Friday will be postponed because of concerns over air quality.

On Wednesday, the City Section canceled a three-league cross-country meet scheduled for Griffith Park -- the second multi-league cross-country meet it has canceled this week -- and ordered that all outdoor practices or games scheduled for Wednesday or today be postponed.

There are only two weeks left in the regular season after Friday’s scheduled football games. Some schools have not practiced all week.

Earlier this week, the San Diego section closed its office and canceled practices and games in all sports through Saturday. Section Commissioner Dennis Ackerman said there could be more cancellations next week and said rescheduling is at the discretion of individual leagues.

The Southern Section is leaving the decision to cancel or postpone games up to the individual schools and leagues.

Because of postponements of games last week, football teams in the Mountain View League, as well as two from the Sunkist League, will each play four games in a 15-day span from Friday to Nov. 14.

Section Commissioner Jim Staunton said he intends to ask the CIF-State office for a temporary waiver to allow affected teams to hold practices on Sundays, beginning Nov. 9. He expects to discuss the issue with State Commissioner Marie Ishida this morning and will announce a decision later today.

Staunton said he is considering moving the Division V football playoffs back one week to help teams reschedule games or find alternate sites. Staunton said Division V -- comprising the Ivy, Mountain View, San Andreas, Southwestern and Sunbelt leagues -- has more teams affected by fires than any other.

Meanwhile, Ishida canceled this weekend’s Federated Council meeting in San Diego, where representatives of the Southern Section intended to present an alternative plan for statewide marketing.

The section, which has a highly successful marketing program, claims that a new state marketing proposal designed to centralize control of all 10 sections at the state office in Oakland would cripple its ability to operate.

Ishida said the state economic viability committee may hold a special meeting in January to let the Southern Section present its plan.

The Southern Section has completed negotiations with the Home Depot Center and will have four divisional championship football games as well as the Division I semifinals at the new facility in Carson later this fall.

The Division I semifinals will take place at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 6, and the championship game will be played at 7 p.m. on Dec. 12.

A championship tripleheader will be held on Dec. 13, with the Division III final starting at noon, the Division VI final at 3:30 p.m. and the Division II final at 7:30.

The section has held at least one championship playoff game at Edison Field in all but four years since 1985, but Assistant Commissioner Rob Wigod said it’s doubtful it would consider using the Orange County facility to host other divisional playoff games.

-- Paul McLeod