The CIF Southern Section (CIF-SS) Fall Sports Championships have been canceled for the 2020-2021 school year, according to a statement from CIF-SS Commissioner of Athletics, Rob Wigod.

The decision was made as part of an effort to provide the most opportunity for a return to play at some point, as the ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases has continued to keep athletes off the field in 2021.

“There has not been enough progress made from the purple tier toward the orange tier for Football, Girls Volleyball and Boys/Girls Water Polo to even begin competition this season,” wrote Wigod. “Subsequently, there will not be sufficient time for those sports to conduct viable league play, which is necessary for us to be able to conduct Section Championships in those sports.”

Boys and girls cross-country, which is in the purple tier and set to be able to begin competition next week, if the stay at home order is lifted in Southern California. 

However, even with some potential progress on that front, Wigod acknowledged that “to host a Southern Section Championship in one location and have student-athletes from all 7 counties within the Southern Section footprint be allowed to travel to that single location is not realistic.”

Canceling the championships frees up portions of the schedule to extend the potential opportunity for some amount of league competition, if public health metrics permit.

“We are not canceling the entire seasons for our Fall Sports, we are canceling the portion of the Fall Sports seasons that we have direct control over, Southern Section Championships,” Wigod wrote. “Hopefully, the additional weeks now available during the Fall Sports season will be useful to our schools in the effort to have regular season and /or league competition in the time ahead.”

The various high school sports had been previously reorganized into two categories, CIF Season 1 Sports and CIF Season 2 Sports.

Related: CIF Issues Updated Season Schedule For High School Sports

CIF Season 1 Sports are scheduled to run from January to April, as permitted, and includes traditional competitive cheer, cross country, field hockey, football, gymnastics, skiing/snowboarding, girls volleyball and water polo.

CIF Season 2 Sports are scheduled to take place from March through June, as permitted, and includes badminton, baseball, basketball, competitive sport cheer, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, boys volleyball, wrestling.

Several new season end dates were issued for several Season 1 sports, provided they are able to begin competition at some point in the time ahead, seen below: 

• Boys/Girls Cross-Country – Saturday, March 27, 2021 
• 8-Man Football – Saturday, April 3, 2021 
• 11-Man Football – Saturday, April 17, 2021 
• Girls Volleyball – Saturday, March 20, 2021 
• Boys/Girls Water Polo – Saturday, March 20, 2021

KHTS Sports is your place for 2021 Santa Clarita high school sports and Los Angeles Dodgers coverage. Find all the latest news and updates on your hometown schools here as they compete in the Foothill League, Heritage League, Western State Conference and GSAC.