Capital Christian High hit with sanctions for playing in spring club football league
Capital Christian High School and Vacaville Christian were among four schools sanctioned Thursday by the Sac Joaquin Section for their involvement in a club football league this past spring.
Capital Christian will be ineligible to play in the playoffs this year and next year, according to the section. Vacaville Christian’s football program is on probation. Capital Christian’s football program is on probation this year and for the next two football seasons, the section said.
The Sac Joaquin Section told schools they were not allowed to play in the spring club football league, which sprang up out of fears school districts would not allow their teams to play amid coronavirus concerns. Capital Christian posted highlight videos to the team’s high school web pages from the club games. The videos showed Capital Christian’s club team using uniforms, helmets and other equipment from the high school team, in violation of section rules.
Ripon Christian and Stone Ridge Christian were also put on probation and are not eligible for football playoffs this year.
“While it is understood that the postponement of interscholastic athletics due to the COVID-19 pandemic was frustrating and had an adverse impact on all of our member schools and student athletes, the fact is that the shutdown was a public safety issue”, Commissioner Mike Garrison said in a news release. “We have approximately 150 member schools, within the CIF-SJS and the vast majority of them held off until given the go-ahead to participate in football. Unfortunately, a few schools after being put on notice by the Section, that participation in football would be a violation of guidance provided by the Governor’s office, the CDPH, and CDE, elected to participate in football contests while wearing school uniforms, using school equipment and school facilities under the supervision of team coaches.
“We expect all of our schools to follow the rules and we have attempted to be as proactive as possible in getting that message out but unfortunately there were a few schools who ignored the rules and my guidance.”
‘This is the last thing we want to do’
Garrison said the section, the second-largest of 10 in the state, is not out to deny kids the chance to play in a tournament but the section is a rules-enforcement agency. He added that no players will be punished, including those from area schools that played for the Club team. That players played in games with Capital Christian uniforms while using school equipment and school facilities...”
“This is the last thing we we want to do an and we never want to do this,” Garrison told The Bee. “I was hired by our member schools to uphold rules and the regulations and expectations of this section. We are proactive in expressing what those expectations are. We did our best to communicate with these schools our expectations.”
Garrison said the punished programs can appeal, which would be a panel of three former or current members of high school or school district and sports administration. The appeal would take place and have results sometime in the fall, Garrison said.
The Bee was not able to immediately get in touch with Capital Christian athletic director/assistant coach Aaron Garcia. One of the team’s top players did express his frustration on social media.
CJ McMillan, a 6-foot-4, 295-pound senior, wrote on Twitter, “People always find a way to hate on Capital huh? Crazy to me. Messing up every player’s opportunity. Football is the only way out for some people and they trying to take that away as well!!. But we won’t sit back and do nothing. We will fight around this. Go Cougars.
He added later on Facebook, “Best believe I’m always (going) to speak my mind. It suks that we get hated on because we’re one of the few schools that just don’t sit around waiting for orders. Crazy how people love to see this, but if this was their son or daughter (involved), they would be devastated. We will fight this!”
This story was originally published July 29, 2021 at 4:11 PM.