This past year life has been dramatically changed by COVID-19. Fall and winter athletes were originally told they would not have a season. As cases dropped, these athletes were given a chance to hold a shortened season.

State health officials guidelines allow counties with a COVID-19 infection rate of 14 or less per 100,000 to resume all outdoor sports including high contact sports. As of Friday February 26, LA county opened up because the Covid infection rate was below 14 per 100,000.

High school sports need to abide by both California Department of Public Health and CIF guidelines. 

On March 5 CIF allowed all outdoor sports to resume. For some sports such as Water Polo and Football, weekly COVID tests need to be taken when the case rate of the county they take place in is between 7 and 14 per 100,000. 

”Our season started on Saturday, February 27 with a scrimmage against Harvard Westlake but our first official game was a win against Los Alamitos on March 2. We had a total of 10 games and our last game was on March 20,”  said junior water polo player, Tristan Wattson.

“We are currently in our preseason and the official season starts on April 6. During our preseason we still have some scrimmages though,” said junior Girls’ soccer player, Elizabeth Manth.

Junior and football player Ken Knapp said, “Football only plays games once a week, varsity on friday and jv on saturday. So far we have played Corona Del Mar and Santa Monica. Our season will last until mid April.” 

Student athletes went above and beyond during Covid to keep playing by any means necessary. 

“During the lockdown when our team did not have access to a pool, we made homemade water polo goals and put them in the ocean to play water polo,” Wattson said.

Everyone was really grateful to have an opportunity to play after all of the hard work that was put in.