Unusual developments affect football playoff games

It is never boring in dealing with City Section sports teams. This football season, several schools had to cancel games when they ran out of players because of injuries. A playoff game was halted at 5:01 p.m. by the officials because of a sundown rule even though one team was at the one-yard line.

Now comes the state bowl games. On Friday night, Belmont was forced to play its Division VI-AA regional game against Coronado with a running clock of seven minutes in the second, third and fourth quarters. The combination of a 90-minute lightning delay and the request that the game end by 10:30 p.m. so that Belmont’s charter bus driver could return the team to Los Angeles before a deadline that would prevent him from driving left the Sentinels with few options.

Belmont lost, 14-0.

Ron Nocetti, the associate executive director for the CIF, said the issue of flexibility for bus drivers taking schools on long trips will be examined and fixed for next season. This is the first season of expanded bowl games.

Another City Section school, Fairfax, received a Los Angeles Unified School District police escort Friday for its drive to Clovis for a game Saturday at Chowchilla after concerns were raised by Chowchilla officials. Fairfax Athletic Director Judi Edwards said L.A. Unified approved sending six officers for security because Chowchilla had issues last week during a playoff game. Edwards said a derogatory racial term was being shouted.

Fairfax stayed overnight in Clovis and will return immediately after Saturday’s Division IV-A bowl game.

Bowl news

Five CIF state championship bowl games will be held Friday and Saturday at Sacramento State, topped by the Open Division final between Corona Centennial and Concord De La Salle at 8 p.m. on Saturday.

On Friday, Camarillo will play Loomis Del Oro in Division II-AA at 4 p.m. and Mission Viejo will face San Jose Bellarmine in Division 1-AA at 8 p.m.

Bowl games held Saturday in Southern California will have a 6 p.m. start. La Mirada is set to play Moraga Campolindo in Division III-AA. The school will find out Monday if it can use Cal State Fullerton as the site.

Follow Eric Sonheimer on Twitter @latsondheimer