Smoky air leads to a rash of canceled or rescheduled high school football games
Poor air quality tied to the Caldor and Dixie wildfires has led to a number of delayed, postponed or canceled high school football games throughout Northern California, including the Sacramento region.
The smoke adds to the chaotic nature of the second week of prep football, with 11 games canceled or winding up with different opponents due to COVID-19 positive results.
High school sports are not to be played in air worse than 150 on the air-index model, which is deemed unhealthy for all ages. Teams in California are allowed 11 weeks to play 10 regular-season games. Nonleague games, the ones in August and into September, cannot be added to the end of the regular schedule.
Coaches and athletic directors are in a rush to get games in because it’s good for the players and fans who had no 2020 season due to the pandemic and a shortened spring season, and it’s good for the gate receipts to help fund sports programs on campus.
Top-ranked Folsom was scheduled to play host to No. 7 Jesuit at Prairie City Stadium in Folsom, but that contest was moved late Friday morning to Jesuit for a 4:30 p.m. varsity kickoff, following the junior varsity contest.
The JV game was canceled with the air index at 175 at 2 p.m. At 3:45 on Friday, the schools agreed to move the game back to Folsom for a 5:30 varsity kickoff. If the smoke hasn’t cleared up enough to play, that game would be pushed to 7 p.m.
Schools are allowed to push games postponded due to smoke into early next week, and that’s what happened this past Monday, when Lincoln hosted rival Del Oro in Placer County in front of a festive full house.
West Park of Roseville, playing in its first varsity season, will play at Woodcreek across town Monday after Friday’s game was called off. The Kennedy-Rio Linda game was pushed back to Sept. 10, when both teams had an open date. Grant at Inderkum’s varsity game was postponed to 7:15 p.m. Monday. Oakmont’s game against Foothill of Sacramento was also pushed back to Monday night.
El Dorado’s home game against Bear River was canceled, meaning Bear River has not played a game after its opener at Truckee was canceled last week. Vista del Lago’s game against Ponderosa was canceled due to Ponderosa quarantine, and then Vista’s home game against Foothill of the Northern Section was canceled on Friday due to smoke.
Placer and Roseville scrambled to get that game in but it was finally called.
Other Friday games have been pushed to an 8 p.m. varsity start, an hour later than scheduled, to allow for better air. This happened with Granite Bay at Davis in Yolo County and Monterey Trail at Cosumnes Oaks in Elk Grove. But just 7.5 miles away from Cosumnes Oaks, Florin’s home game (scheduled at Monterey Trail) against Franklin of Stockton was canceled due to air.
And at nearby Cosumnes River College, the Laguna Creek-Valley junior varsity and varsity games were canceled due to smoke.
Union Mine of El Dorado and Argonaut moved Friday’s game to Saturday night in Jackson for an 8 p.m. varsity kickoff.
This story will be updated with additional cancellations.
This story was originally published August 27, 2021 at 4:05 PM.