Poly-Grant Game Canceled

The Sunset Six League football game between Grant and Poly highs was canceled Friday after school district inspectors discovered potentially cancer-causing asbestos exposed in the Grant locker room, where the team’s equipment is stored, school officials said.

Rita Hymes, assistant principal in charge of athletics at Grant, said the game, which was scheduled to be played Friday night at Poly, will not be rescheduled because of uncertainty when the locker room will become available and the start of City Section playoffs next week.

“We tried to see if there was any way to play the game, but [district officials] said there was absolutely no way anyone was going in that building,” Hymes said. “You can’t take a risk like that where children are concerned.”

Exposed asbestos was discovered Thursday at Grant by members of the district’s environmental health and safety branch, Hymes said. The gym area, where the locker room is located, was one of three campus locations where asbestos was found, Hymes said.

Grant finishes the season with a 2-7 record, 1-3 in league play. Poly (5-4, 3-1), which finished league play a half-game behind co-champions North Hollywood and Canoga Park, could be awarded a berth in the lower-tier City Invitational playoffs when the pairings are decided today.