Football: City Section teams cleared to practice outdoors
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Los Angeles City Section teams were allowed to resume practicing outdoors today, but the 250 or so evacuees who occupied the gymnasium at Sylmar served as a reminder of the fires that have devastated portions of the Southland over the last week.
‘This puts everything in perspective,’ Sylmar Coach London Woodfin said. ‘It’s tough because these families are worried about their livelihoods and this is basically their home for right now.’
Sylmar had practiced in its auditorium on Monday after City Section officials banned outdoor practices because of poor air quality in the wake of the fires. Woodfin said the air quality had improved today, though ‘it’s still not good.’
City Section assistant commissioner John Aguirre said the one-day disruption should have minimal impact because Mondays are typically spent reviewing film and scouting reports.
‘Staying away from contact for one day after 10 weeks of games and four weeks of [preseason] practice isn’t going to affect anything,’ Aguirre said.
At Sylmar, evacuees used the Spartans’ locker room to take showers and congregated in the gym.
‘It was definitely a focus problem, but I thought our kids did a great job,’ Woodfin said. ‘We’re playing a game, but this life out here.’
Sylmar (7-3), seeded No. 15 in the City Championship Division, plays at No. 2 San Pedro (9-1) on Thursday in a rematch of a game won by the Pirates, 38-14, last month.
--Ben Bolch