Among the disruptions to normal life reaped upon the local community by the COVID-19 pandemic, area high school fall sports athletes, as well as coaches and administrators, are dealing with a schedule-jarring postponement to their seasons. 

As of a July 20 announcement, the CIF does not expect to start Section competition in any fall sport until December.

A CIF San Diego Section announcement on Aug. 14 stated that "Season 1" high school sports, including cross country, will be allowed to begin practice on Dec. 12. Scripps Ranch cross country head coach Chuck Warren was able to give a glimpse of what the changes mean to his sport and the runners on his team.

"I think we can start official practice sometime in early December and any official games or meets will be after the new year," Warren said. "Official practice usually starts the first week in August, with the first meet normally right after Labor Day."

Before pandemic-related restrictions began, Warren was planning activities for the running club he offers during the summer. Open to any student looking to run for training, Warren said, the group usually meets for workouts three times per week at Miramar Lake. 

"I wasn't sure if that was even going to happen, and then I got a call from my athletic director mid-June and he said go for it," Warren said. "I sent out an email expecting 20 kids, but I got 50, so I guess they wanted to get out of the house." 

Warren quickly found Miramar Lake too crowded with other users to work out runners safely, so he moved club activities to Jerabek Park. He said during the club, runners are spaced out for group talks or meetings and any non-running activity, wear facemasks for all talks and stretching, and break into smaller groups for the runs. He even had groups showing up at different times based on experience levels. 

"I was trying to break it up as much as possible," Warren said.

Then he learned there was not going to be any competition, for any fall sport, until winter. 

"It's going to be more challenging after cross country because our goal is to make it to state championships every year," Warren said. "Now, that's going to be in late March. Then the following week we start track and field. Normally, we have a winter season before we start track. So, if we do get to that level at the state meet, those kids will need some time off and probably won't compete in the first few meets in track and field." 

That not only impacts training schedules for the competition season, but also presents a challenge for multi-sport athletes, including many cross-country runners who also compete in track and field. 

"The whole idea (usually) is to peak them in cross country in November and peak them again in June for track. That's going to be a neat trick to do it so quickly. It's new ground for me," he said.

Warren said that once the season starts, he expects student athletes will have to sign a waiver, perhaps have to fill out a questionnaire and probably have their temperature taken. 

The coach said a challenge will be how meets and races, including large invitational events, play out. At this point, the best he can do is speculate and prepare for whatever comes. 

"Maybe we could just have some morning session races. Then, after morning sessions, have those runners leave and then another group comes in," Warren said. "Maybe have morning, midday and afternoon sessions. I don't know. We'll see what happens."

However logistics are handled, Coach Warren is optimistic when it comes to the talent on his team and the prospects for the season ahead. 

"We've had a lot of success the last few years. The boys have been to state championships three years in a row and our top two runners from last year are returning," he said. "They finished fifth and seventh in CIF finals last year. They're going to be very disappointed if we don't have a season. They're trying to compete in college and so on."

Warren said the team was one of the favorites to win its division, led on the boys side by standout senior runners Giancarlo De Silva and Caden Farrow. 

"They're best friends, training together every day," Warren said. "They're two of the top track athletes in the county." 

Among the girls, the coach said he's pleased with how the team has come up after losing key runners and rebuilding from scratch. 

"We had eight strong girls and five had never run cross country before," he said. "Then, in CIF, we were the youngest team from San Diego by far. They had a respectable CIF finish at sixth in one of the strongest divisions."

Standout Chloe Ellermeyer returns to the team this year and is expected to pick up the pace where she left off last year, when she qualified for the CIF state meet as an individual.   

Despite the unique challenges posed to fall 2020 sports, Coach Warren is optimistic about cross country. 

"I'm looking forward to this season quite a bit. It's not just about the varsity. Some kids join the team for the social life. It's a great way for freshmen to meet new friends. (For) a lot of them, it's a training ground for their sport; club baseball or soccer or whatever," he said. "It's going to be very interesting. We'll see what happens." 

CIF-SD releases master calendar
The CIF-San Diego Section posted its “master calendar” for the 2020-21 school year in high school sports, which includes the postponed start of fall sports until December due to the COVID 19 crisis.

The calendar lists the breakdown of seasons and the dates when each sport can begin practice, when teams in each sport can begin competition, when the regular seasons must end and a general timetable for CIF-SD playoffs. The new plan calls for a Season 1 and a season 2.

Season 1 will include badminton, traditional competitive cheer, cross country, field hockey, football, gymnastics, boys volleyball, girls volleyball, girls water polo, boys water polo and roller hockey. Practices for all Season 1 sports may begin Dec. 12.

Season 2 will include baseball, girls basketball, boys basketball, competitive sport cheer, boys golf, girls golf, boys lacrosse, girls lacrosse, boys soccer, girls soccer, softball, swimming and diving, boys tennis, girls tennis, track and field, boys wrestling and girls wrestling. Starting dates for Season 2 sports are spread between Feb. 8 and March 13, depending on the sport.

In addition, the State CIF announced the temporary suspension of Bylaw 600-605, enabling student athletes across the state the opportunity to compete on both their high school team and an outside (club) team during the same season of sport.

SR Little League Fall Ball cancelled
The Scripps Ranch Little League (SRLL) Fall Ball season has been cancelled this year, according to an Aug. 9 announcement.

The SRLL Board decided it was best to not register players for Fall Ball and then wait to see if they could play games between September and November. The COVID-19 pandemic caused delays in opening youth sports, and there was a high chance no games would be allowed locally before November. With this information, and knowing Fall Ball is a season of only playing games on Sundays, the Board decided it was best to skip this year.

SRLL hopes it will be able to hold a season in the spring looks to hold an “early bird registration” at the end of this year for 2021.

The Scripps Ranch Softball Association (SRSA) is an organization for girls to learn and play softball. It is part of the Junior Olympic program with USA Softball. Each year the association recruits around 280 girls that range from ages six to 14. 

“We are a family-oriented association and we really focus on the girls,” said James Anderson, SRSA president.

During the spring, the association fundraises by holding a raffle. 

“We ask each girl to try and sell five raffle tickets. As an incentive for the girls, we also put their names in a raffle in which they can get a bat. Then we get donations from companies and amusement parks to help fundraise. For example, this year Disneyland had donated a four day and two-day pass,” President Anderson said.

However, this year the organization split up the profits and donated $2,000 to Feeding San Diego in light of the COVID-19 crisis. 

“We wanted to give back to the community in a time like this,” Anderson said. 

Not only does the association fundraise through the raffle, but it also has local sponsors such as Diamond Designs and the Scripps Ranch Old Pros. 

With the rest of the money raised, they pay for expenses in the program. SRSA was also able to award five $1,000 scholarships to five senior high school students: Lauren Anderson, Julia Cornelissen, Alex Cruella, Sophia Ippolito and Juliana Ishimine.

“Because of our local sponsors and fundraisers, we are able to have one of the lowest registration fees,” Anderson said. 

On June 17, the association started holding summer camps that ran in two-week increments. For now, their permits have been renewed through the end of July. 

Depending on the group of athletes, sessions can range from teaching the basics to running drills. Each group has 12 athletes. 

At the moment, USA Softball has possible plans to have tournaments in August in which the association wants to participate. Some of the activities are up in the air (as of press time) due to the COVID-19 crisis, as one of the leagues the association partners with cancelled its upcoming season and another plans September competition, pending local guidelines of cities in which it plays.

During the regular year, the association has three seasons. Fall Ball season runs from August to November. 

“Fall Ball is developmental in nature. Girls that play Fall Ball are usually trying to improve or preparing to move up in age next season. During the fall, we play in the North County Winterball League or in Premier Girls Fastpitch. Both leagues have teams from all over the San Diego area,” Anderson said. 

Recreational season runs from January to April. 

“Recreation season is designed to help all players of all levels get better and learn and, hopefully, love softball. We play around 12 to 16 games per season followed by a double elimination playoff tournament. We also have activities such as movie night and hot dog decorating contests for the girls,” Anderson said. 

All Star season runs from May to July. 

“All Star season is designed to provide players an opportunity to take their game to the next level and compete with neighboring leagues. All Star season can include the opportunity to play at States and eventually Nationals, if you qualify,” Anderson said. 

All Star season also includes travel. Each season, players compete in a tournament in Irvine. 

“The trip to Irvine is truly a lifetime memory for the girls. They really feel like they are part of something,” Anderson said. 

This is an updated version of the story that will appear in the printed version of the July issue of Scripps Ranch News:

The Scripps Ranch Pop Football Warner and Cheer Association board voted Thursday, July 23, to cancel its 2020 football and cheer season. The decision ultimately came down to the health and safety of the athletes, families and community, according to Sarah Wicker, president of Scripps Ranch Pop Warner. It was a tough and sad decision, but necessary, she added.

July usually marks a short time before the start of practice for the Scripps Ranch Pop Football Warner and Cheer Association. But, as of press time for the July issue of Scripps Ranch News, the league was still uncertain whether the traditional Aug. 1 season start would happen at all.

With the California Interscholastic Federation’s decision to push back the fall high school sports season, Scripps Ranch Pop Warner was sitting in an unknown situation. It was waiting to find out from Scripps Ranch High School if it would be allowed to use the school’s field and stadium, as it has in the past.

“Because we use the Scripps Ranch High School football field for our games, that’s what makes (CIF’s decision) really contingent for Scripps Ranch Pop Warner’s ability to facilitate a season,” Wicker said.

Nevertheless, Pop Warner leaders had been working to draft a safety protocol in the instance they were able to proceed. The guidelines were a compilation of Center for Disease Control, San Diego County, State of California and National Pop Warner sanitation guidelines.

If the season proceeded, varying degrees of interaction between athletes would have been determined by the reopening status of the region, Wicker said.

With the latest swath of closures handed down by Governor Gavin Newsom to counties around the state, Wicker said the 2020 season would have begun with the strictest COVID-19 protocols. Under those circumstances, athletes would have been limited to interacting within groups of 10.

“If you’re throwing a football, that would be to that small 10-person group and that football never leaves or exchanges into another group until it is sanitized appropriately,” Wicker said.

Later phases, such as phase 3, would have allowed athletes to interact in groups of 25. But since the state’s virus cases remained high, the league did not make it to the point in which games between groups were possible. In this case, the league is planning a fair refund policy.

On top of limiting group sizes, Wicker said the league would have monitored athletes’ temperatures, offered hand sanitizer, enforced social distancing among all practice attendees and sanitized all equipment thoroughly between uses. 

But the question remained: Were Scripps Ranch families comfortable enrolling their kids in youth sports amid an unprecedented pandemic?

“I’ve seen it both ways,” Wicker said. “There are parents that really want to get their kids back into youth sports, that want to get their kids out away from computers, video games and mobile devices and get them the exercise they absolutely need and thrive on. Then, I’m also talking to parents that are unsure and are really putting a more concerted effort into keeping their family safe.”

At the end of the day, Wicker said she hoped the league could have found a way to continue for the sake of her kids and others.

“There are so many different things that they learn through football and through cheer,” she said. “Leadership, respect, the ability to really build trust and lean on your teammates.”

Scripps Ranch’s youngest basketball fans are in for a quiet winter after Scripps Ranch National Junior Basketball was forced to cancel its upcoming season in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

League director John Owens said, with all factors considered, the board had no other choice. For starters, the facilities the league uses for practice and games are both closed.

“Our league relies very, very heavily on indoor gym space,” Owens said. “That’s the only way it can function. And for years we’ve had our games on Sunday at Scripps Ranch High School.”

In years past, the league has taken in numerous young players for its winter season. The program serves students from third to sixth grades and is entirely volunteer-run.

Even though tryouts for the winter season don’t usually occur until October, Owens said the planning timeline meant a decision had to be made soon. This action was solidified on July 13 when San Diego Unified School District announced it would not reopen in August for physical classes on campuses, meaning the Scripps Ranch High campus would remain closed.

The response from parents to the cancellation has largely been understanding, Owens said, although he said there has been disagreement what the real risk is of allowing kids to play basketball.

“Some people think it’s relatively low-risk when compared to other activities. Other people think it’s dangerous and shouldn’t happen,” Owens said. “We have to go right now with what the governor is telling us and allowing us to do.”

During these next few months of isolation, Owens said he is fearful of the impact the season cancellation will have on kids’ lives. With no basketball season, kids who normally enroll will get less exercise, fewer teamwork opportunities and may have a harder time making new friends.

“We go to games on Sundays and see a close game and see the excitement of the kids on the floor, the coaches and the parents. That was a special thing,” Owens said. “It’s hard to replicate that, esports is not the same. But that’s just the way it is these days.”

The status of the 2021 season remains unknown, but Owens said the league is hoping to return if conditions permit.

To follow any updates pertaining to Scripps Ranch National Junior Basketball, visit scrippsranchnjb.org.

(July 20) Today, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) suspended the start of the fall high school sports season in this state until December or January due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here is the official statement from the CIF:

The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) has determined, in collaboration with our 10 Sections, that education-based athletics for the 2020-2021 school year will begin with a modified season of sport schedule … Our calendar reflects the season for each CIF sport and the last date for Section Championships and Regional/State Championships in those sports where a Regional/State Championship is currently offered. Following this announcement, each CIF Section Office will release their own calendar to reflect regular season starting and ending dates and Section playoffs. It is anticipated that most Section start dates will commence in December 2020 or January 2021.

We are continuously monitoring the directives and guidelines released from the Governor's Office, the California Department of Education, the California Department of Public Health, and local county health departments and agencies as these directives and guidelines are followed by our member schools/school districts with student health and safety at the forefront. As these guidelines change, CIF Sections may allow for athletic activity to potentially resume under the summer period rules of the local Section. Also, given this calendar change, the CIF has temporarily suspended Bylaws 600-605 (Outside Competition) in all sports for the 2020-21 school year (see below for more specific information related to these changes).

Pursuant to Bylaw 1108, the CIF Executive Director issues the following notice: Temporary Extension of Bylaws 501.F and 501.G (Summer Period)
Given that the CIF has moved the start of its traditional seasons of sport to December 2020, once allowed by the appropriate state and local agencies, CIF Sections may extend their summer period up until the first date of their Fall regular season sports calendar. All summer period activities must be authorized by the member school’s principal/designee. As per CIF Article 23, local schools, school districts, leagues, and Sections may develop a more restrictive rule than the CIF State Office with respect to the aforementioned Bylaws.

Temporary Reconfiguration of Bylaws 504.E. and H. (Season of Sport)
As per the 2020-21 sports calendar above, the CIF has made adjustments to the traditional seasons of sport. Each CIF Section will release their own calendar to reflect regular season starting and ending dates and Section playoffs. It is anticipated that most Section start dates will commence in December 2020 or January 2021.

Temporary Suspension of Bylaws 600-605 (Outside Competition)
Due to the need to move sports to non-traditional times of the year, the CIF is temporarily suspending Bylaws 600, 601, 602, 603, 604, and 605 for all sports for the 2020-21 school year. Accordingly, students will be allowed to participate on an outside team at the same time they participate on their high school team. As per CIF Article 23, local schools, school districts, leagues, and Sections may develop a more restrictive rule than the CIF State Office with respect to the aforementioned Bylaws.

Each of the above Bylaw modifications are effective as of July 20, 2020, and remain in effect for the 2020-21 school year only.

(July 20) The California Interscholastic Federation, San Diego Section released a statement today regarding the state California Interscholastic Federation’s decision to postpone the start of the fall high school sports season. The San Diego Section’s statement focuses mainly on the new guideline as was provided. Here is the San Diego Section statement:

The California Interscholastic Federation, San Diego Section (CIF-SDS) is excited to see the foundations of a plan to return high school athletics throughout the state of California for the 2020-2021 school year. Today’s announcement from the state office provides our section with the information necessary to finalize the calendars and schedules for all of our CIF regulated sports, while also acknowledging the importance of the health and safety of our student athletes and coaches by pushing the official start date back to align with the Roadmap to Recovery set by the state of California.

Specifics of the plan provides for two seasons of sport, which will serve to maximize the length of each season while not eliminating any athletic opportunities in a reduced athletic calendar for the year. The adjusted calendar distributes the athletic offerings into a Fall/Winter Season, and a Spring Season in hope of balancing the opportunities for all student athletes.

In collaboration with our Board of Managers, Conference Presidents, Sport Specific Advisory Committees and Officials Association, we will be coming together over the next couple weeks to finalize the dates and schedules for each of the seasons of sport for our section. We understand that this has been a difficult period of time for our student athletes, coaches, athletic administrators, and parents with so much uncertainty and information changing on a daily basis. With a plan in place, we look forward to continuing to collaborate with leaders from across our section and state as we prepare for the start of the 2020-2021 athletic year.

The COVID-19 pandemic threatened to halt a Scripps Ranch tradition this year, but thanks to some tenacity and innovation, the Scripps Ranch Old Pros will host its 42nd annual summer fundraiser.

Named the Freedom Run & Ride this year, the event – normally held on the Fourth of July – will consist of five virtual events, spanning from June 25 to July 15. There will be a two-mile “fun run,” a 10K run, a 12-mile bike ride, a 28-mile bike ride, and a 50-mile bike ride. Each event can be run or biked from any location its participants choose.

Poway Gymnastics recently held a food drive for The Community Food Connection food bank.

Students and parents – some from Scripps Ranch – drove through the Poway Gymnastics parking lot to drop off food and say hello to their gym coaches from a safe distance. The project allowed the gymnastics studio to collect 500 pounds of supplies.

Ready to safely reopen
In addition, Poway Gymnastics has released a video showing how it has prepared its facilities and created rules for safe distancing once it is allowed to reopen.

For the second year in a row, the Scripps Ranch High School roller hockey team played in and won the CIF San Diego Championship game. On Monday night, March 2, the Falcons faced off against Westview High School and came away with a 7-4 victory to win the 2020 CIF Metro Conference Championship.

Both teams were evenly matched, but in the third period the Scripps Ranch players showed why they were the number one seed, breaking away for the victory. Scripps Ranch ended its season only losing one game.

The Scripps Ranch High School boys varsity baseball team will take on Valhalla High School in El Cajon on Monday, March 9 at 4 p.m.

The team defeated Mira Mesa High 6-0 in the Kendra Couch Classic Tournament on March 3. Unfortunately, the Falcons fell to Mount Carmel High 3-1 in the same tournament on Feb. 29. The Scripps Ranch pitching looked strong in that game, but the players could not seem to find their hitting game. (Photos on this page are from the Feb. 29 game against Mount Carmel.)

The Scripps Ranch High School varsity softball team is scheduled to play Granite Hills High on Friday, March 6 at 5 p.m. in the Cougar Classic in Escondido, 3333 Bear Valley Parkway.

Scripps Ranch defeated Olympian High 15-2 in the tournament on March 3.

On Feb. 29, the Lady Falcons won in the ninth inning against Steele Canyon High 4-3. It was a much-needed win for Scripps Ranch after falling to Del Norte earlier in the week by 16 runs on Feb. 27. (Photos on this page are from the game against Steele Canyon.)