Four leagues in OC cancel Week 8 games
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Four leagues in Orange County have canceled football games for Week 8.
The Empire, Freeway, Pacific Coast and Trinity leagues will finish the regular season with only nine games played.
Most significant among the lost games is University at Laguna Hills, which could have determined the Pacific Coast League champion. Both unbeaten in league, University is 7-0 for the first time since 1995 and trying to win its first title since 2000. Principals met Friday afternoon and made their decision.
Mark Cunningham, University’s coach and athletic director, said that if games had been scheduled for Monday, he would have played. If his team’s contest had been pushed back to Tuesday for any reason, he would have forfeited.
‘I was not going to play three games in 11 days, and then if we make the playoffs, have four games in three weeks,’ said Cunningham, whose team is in a five-team league so there are bye weeks built into the schedule.
‘In our league, Laguna Hills and University are the only ones who would have to play three games in that time period. It’s just not worth it. There are a lot of things going on that are worse than whether or not we win a football game.’
Assuming both teams win their remaining two games, a coin flip will determine which enters the playoffs as the league’s first-place representative.
The other significant game that was canceled comes from the Empire League, where Cypress was to play at Placentia Valencia. Even though Cypress had two league losses, it was one of four teams that figured to have a legitimate chance of winning the league title, along with Valencia, which has yet to lose in league and still has a game remaining against La Palma Kennedy, which shares first place.
- Martin Henderson
- Editor Bob: Did you know that Will Ferrell, pictured above in his upcoming movie ‘Semi-Pro,’ is a graduate of Uni High? He is, in deed. And who knows, maybe he would have been on the Trojans’ sideline tonight, unless he is in Oregon, preparing to stand on the sideline of those other Trojans, also his school, as they battle the Ducks.
-- Image from www.streetbasketballassociation.net