City Section cancels postseason for football and other fall sports, except cross country

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The CIF Los Angeles City Section, which governs athletics for the Los Angeles Unified School District and multiple charter schools in L.A. County, announced Tuesday, Jan. 19 that it has canceled the playoffs and championships for football, girls volleyball and boys and girls water polo due to the spread of COVID-19 in Southern California.

The City Section does intend to host its cross country championships on March 27.

The City Section made an effort to preserve fall sports by moving the start dates back to December 2020 and January 2021, but the virus has impacted those start dates. The pandemic has now led to the cancellation of playoffs and championships in an effort to help football, girls volleyball and boys and girls water polo have a chance to compete if state and county guidelines allow it.

The City Section’s announcement came roughly an hour after the Southern Section announced the cancellation of all of its fall championships, including cross country.

The Southern Section is comprised of teams in seven different counties, which makes gathering for an event like the cross country championships a higher risk of spreading the virus. The City Section is comprised of just one county (Los Angeles), making the logistical makeup of the event safer.

The City Section also announced the last allowable contest dates for the Season 1 fall sports. Cross country, girls volleyball and boys and girls water polo will conclude their seasons on March 27. Football’s last allowable contest is April 30, two weeks after the Southern Section’s April 17 date.

More to come on this story …