Football season canceled

On Oct. 20, students, faculty and parents were shocked to learn that the remainder of the school’s varsity football season was canceled. The administration reasoned that the small team roster would threaten the health of the active players. The varsity team began with 27 players in August; however, only 20 players remain due to injuries. The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) quota for the number of active players on a football team stands at 22.
According to a consensus between CIF officials, sports trainers and medical professionals, the state of the school’s current football team creates an 80 percent chance of a “catastrophic injury” on the team.
Though the initial reaction was to transfer players from the junior-varsity team to varsity, this proposal presented numerous safety issues due to differences in player experience and size. “I understand the decision they made about safety,” football team member Tobi Ibraheem said. “But at the same time it is sad because the players and the coaches put in so much work this summer and throughout the beginning of the season.”

The recent conversation began after the school’s loss against Mira Costa 54-13, when Principal Mitzi Cress, Athletic Director Wendell Yoshida and the Peninsula football coaches deliberated over the team’s health for the remaining games this year.
They decided that regardless of the team’s prior or future score in games, safety remains a top priority. “As the principal, I had to make a really tough decision,” Cress said. “Our team is amazing; they have worked really hard and they have grit. I want there to be a football team, and I don’t want to cancel games. But when I am told it is imminent that we will have catastrophic injuries on the team, safety becomes my first concern. I’m committed to doing whatever I can to get the football program back on the road, but this means ultimately recruiting more players.”