Based on data released on Tuesday afternoon by the Los Angeles County Health Department, practices and games for outdoor sports–including high school football–are eligible to return in Long Beach and LA County.
Per the updated guidelines from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) released last Friday, outdoor amateur sports would be allowed to resume competition once the adjusted case rate in their county drops below 14 cases per 100,000 residents. The adjusted case rate is released every Tuesday, and multiple counties in the CIF-Southern Section map fell below that threshold, signaling the immediate return of practices and games.
The LA County adjusted case rate (which includes Long Beach’s numbers) dropped from 20.0 cases per 100,000 last Tuesday down to 12.3, comfortably below that key threshold of 14. Orange County (11.9) and San Luis Obispo County (9.4) also met the adjusted case rate threshold and will be able to resume athletic activities as well.
High school football teams are now eligible to begin preseason practices in earnest, and there’s an opportunity for teams to play a six-game regular season if they’re able to hold practices immediately. Football teams are required to hold 14 days of practice prior to competition, including 10 practices in helmets and pads. Based on that timeline, the earliest that high schools could play football games is the weekend of March 12. The CIF-SS has already canceled postseason competition for fall sports in the 2020-21 school year.
In addition to football, other outdoor sports are now eligible to begin competition. Baseball, gymnastics, lacrosse, soccer, softball, and water polo will also be able to begin their seasons.
PODCAST: Talking Return Of High School Football With CIF Southern Section Commissioner Rob Wigod
We’ll continue to update this developing story. Stay tuned for more information on updated schedules as well as season previews in the weeks ahead...
