Southern Section remains optimistic football season will start on time

Thom Simmons, the spokesman for the CIF Southern Section, said Monday that he remains optimistic that the high school football season will begin on schedule Dec. 14 when practice is supposed to begin despite current statewide COVID-19 restrictions.

“There’s complete optimism it will start on time,” he said. “We have five counties that could probably go.”

Seven counties are part of the Southern Section, and three of the largest — Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino — are in the purple Tier 1, where COVID-19 transmissions are determined to be widespread.

“If we could get people to do the right thing . . . then we’re very optimistic about having a football season in December,” he said.

Simmons said CIF officials are having conversations with the governor’s office on what activities can be done depending on the color-coded state tiers. Games are scheduled to begin Jan. 8.