Cautious optimism that Sonoma Valley sports can resume

It’s beginning to look like there may be high school sports this year after all – maybe not the whole menu of prep action, but several sports could start practice early next month, appropriate to the county’s color tier of coronavirus frequency.

For Sonoma County, still stuck in the high-incidence Purple tier, this means sports with low personal interaction, including cross country, golf, tennis, track & field, swimming and diving (the last not currently a Sonoma Valley High sport) could begin competition as soon as Feb. 9. Should the county move into the somewhat less-restrictive Red tier, baseball and softball could return to play, along with two sports that SVHS does not currently offer, girls lacrosse and field hockey.

Beyond the schedule, the big question is participation, and SVHS Athletic Director Mike Boles sounded an optimistic note. “The sports that we offer will have enough kids,” he said. “I don’t anticipate sports participation decreasing – kids want to get out and participate right now.”

The Vine Valley Athletic League (VVAL), in which Sonoma Valley High School competes, is proposing two “seasons” over the next six months, the first of which would include the Purple tier sports listed above as well as, perhaps surprisingly, the Orange tier sport of football, leap-frogging the Red tier sports.

“There’s no other place to put football in this season,” said Boles. “You need 10 practice games prior to starting a season, so that’s the only time to put in a full season.” The North Coast Section (NCS) had previously required that football must end by April 17 in order to allow for resumption of a regular fall schedule in the coming school year. That the VVAL’s optimistic sports schedule for the Feb. 9 – April 17 season includes football would provide gridiron athletes and fans a special treat, and a send-off season for football at Arnold Field.

Sonoma Valley High School is in the VVAL, which includes teams from both Napa and Sonoma counties. Both are currently in the Purple tier, as are all but four California counties – Trinity, Alpine and Mariposa counties are in the Red tier, and Sierra County is in the Orange tier.

No counties are in the Yellow tier of minimal coronavirus risk, a tier that would allow basketball and wrestling to return to competition. But it is widely hoped that the distribution of coronavirus vaccines may accelerate as they year goes on, allowing all prep sports to return to action with the 2021-22 school year.

In that intermediate Orange tier, of moderate coronavirus prevalence, key fall and winter sports would be allowed to resume, including football, soccer, volleyball and water polo

The inclusion of football in the first season is notable, particularly in light of the recent news that two Orange County private schools held football games in violation of both state and local health orders. “Any school determined to have participated in or to be conducting interscholastic athletics events in violation of the state's orders or CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) rules may be subject to CIF Article 22 sanctions including, but not limited to, fines, suspension or dismissal from membership,” said California Interscholastic Federation officials in a statement.

Season 2 would run from April 12 to June 12, which opens the door to the possibility that two of SVHS’s most popular and successful programs, girls softball and boys baseball, would be able to field teams in 2021.

The proposal from the CIF’s North Coast Section was released Jan. 14, but must be confirmed at a state-wide board of managers meeting on Jan. 29.

“What this means is, if approved as presented, leagues will set their seasons of sport based on the color tier that their county resides in and the sports allowed in that tier,” reads the proposal from Pat Cruickshank, NCS commissioner of athletics. “Purple sports will have the ability to go off first once the county and schools have approved it. Then once counties move into the Red tier, the league will be allowed to begin that season of sport at a time that best fits them.”

There are some restrictions, however, one being there will be no section championship playoffs, the emphasis being rather on “having the most opportunities for our students to play.” Students will also be permitted to participate in only one sport at a time.

“The VVAL athletic directors are currently reviewing the information and discussing how to implement and move forward,” said Boles. “We are excited to provide opportunities for our student-athletes to compete.”

One big caveat: No sport can begin practice or competition until the California Department of Public health stay-at-home order is lifted. Given the current widespread prevalence of coronavirus in California and the rest of the nation, that does not appear imminent.

“It’s nice to see stuff in writing and to be talking about sports potentially occurring,” said Boles. “The emotions swing from positive and optimistic to sometimes not so optimistic, but we really try to stay on the positive side of the fence.”

Email Christian at christian.kallen@sonomanews.com.