Poor air quality forces some Merced County teams to reschedule, cancel football games
Poor air quality due to multiple fires in Northern California forced many high school football games to be postponed, canceled or to be rescheduled, including Merced County schools.
The smokey air adds to the chaos created as football programs try to navigate their way through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Los Banos High School had to postponed its game against Hilmar to Monday night.
State rules say teams can’t play more than two games during any eight-day stretch, according to Sac-Joaquin Section assistant commissioner Will DeBoard. So teams can play on Monday or Tuesday and still play on Friday or Saturday of the same week.
“This has been a crazy day,” said Los Banos coach Dustin Caropreso. “From 2:00 p.m. on it’s been phone call after phone call. It it’s not contact tracing, it’s air quality. Players calling asking ‘if we’re playing?’ In a way, I’m glad we’re not playing tonight because this day has been so crazy.”
Pacheco also rescheduled its game against Central Valley until Saturday night.
Poor air quality in Tracy forced Tracy High administration to inform Buhach Colony that their game had to be called off. The two schools were unable to reschedule the game.
“The logistics just didn’t work out,” Buhach Colony athletic director Kevin Navarra said.
Navarra said he’ll work with Thunder head coach Jerry Dietz to try to find a game during BC’s bye week on Oct. 1 to ensure their players get a 10-game season.
“If there is some possibility we’ll definitely explore it,” Navarra said.
Meanwhile, other schools in the Merced Union High School District were on standby, waiting to see if they would be able to play.
The junior varsity games for Merced-Gregori and El Capitan-Le Grand were canceled early in the afternoon. The status of the varsity games were determined at 4:15 p.m. and both games were given the go ahead to play tonight at 7:30 p.m.
Atwater is also going ahead with its matchup against Clovis East at Atwater High.
Livingston had its JV game canceled at Livermore. The varsity game is being delayed to see if the air quality improves.
Local teams playing in the Fresno area weren’t affected by the air quality and were still scheduled to play, including Golden Valley at Madera South.
Friday’s games
Mariposa at Minarets
Gregori at Merced (Veterans Stadium)
Golden Valley at Madera South
Buhach Colony at Tracy (Canceled)
Clovis East at Atwater
Le Grand at El Capitan (Merced College)
Hilmar at Los Banos (Monday)
Central Valley at Pacheco (Saturday)
Livingston at Livermore (Pending)
Gustine at Johansen (Canceled)
Delhi at Riverbank
Dos Palos at Kerman
Lemoore at Chowchilla
Stone Ridge Christian at Vacaville Christian
