SLO County high school football team forced to give up Friday night games. Here’s why
.JPG "Senior Adair Ponce, last season’s Most Valuable Player on defense for Coast Union High School, in Cambria, carries the ball. He will be among the experienced players on the 2023 football team.")
In the recent past, scheduling Coast Union High School football games was simple.
That’s not the case now that high school football officiating crews are once again in short supply.
Coast Union athletic director Andrew Crosby, responsible for scheduling all eight sports on the school’s Cambria campus, has released the list of opponents that the Broncos will face in the fall.
“It’s not totally finalized because we need to move games from Friday night” — the traditional time for high school football countrywide — “due to a shortage of officiating crews available,” Crosby explained via text.
All high school football games went dark in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools were reluctant to put student athletes in harm’s way.
When football games returned in 2021, officiating crews were in short supply, and available crews were assigned to 11-man football teams.
Eight-man teams, including the Broncos, were forced to play Thursdays and Saturdays.
“We’ve been battling this issue since (2021) with the 11-team programs getting priority to play on Friday nights,” said Crosby, who is also Coast Union’s head football coach.
This year’s Bronco team “will be exciting to watch, so we hope to see a lot of Cambrians in the crowd,” offensive coordinator Charlie Casale said.
What is Coast Union High School football schedule?
Here is the tentative schedule, subject to adjustment based on available officiating, for Bronco football this fall.
- Saturday, Aug. 19, 10 a.m. (home) versus San Luis Obispo Classical Academy, a scrimmage
- Friday, Sept. 1, 7 p.m. (home) versus Riverdale Christian Academy
- Friday, Sept. 8, 7 p.m. (home) versus Orcutt Academy Charter
- Friday, Sept. 15, 7 p.m. (away) versus Santa Clarita Christian School
- Saturday, Sept. 23, noon (away) Villanova Prep School
- Friday, Sept. 29, 7 p.m. (home) versus Valley Christian Academy
- Friday, Oct. 8, 7 p.m. (home) versus Coastal Christian
- Saturday, Oct. 14, 1 p.m. (away) versus San Luis Obispo Classical Academy
- Friday, Oct. 20, 7 p.m. (home) versus Maricopa
- Friday, Oct. 27, 7 p.m. (away) versus Cuyama Valley