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Fryer: Division 1 championship football game deserves better location

October 25, 2024

Eyebrows were raised when it was revealed this week that the CIF Southern Section Division 1 football championship game on Nov. 29 will be played at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach.

It’s not the finest venue in the Los Angele-Orange County megalopolis region for a top-shelf high school football championship game.

It’s an old place, built in 1950. Seating capacity is 11,600. All of the seating is on the same side of the field, facing east.

Long Beach State used “Vets” for its home games when that college had a football team. Long Beach City College and Long Beach Poly play home games there. The 2021 CIF-SS Division 1 final was played there, a Mater Dei win over Servite that coupled with the Monarchs’ state championship win a couple of weeks later were Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson’s “last hurrahs.”

The positives …

It’s got good artificial turf and a fine scoreboard. Parking is plentiful, is close to the stadium and, unlike the nearby 2024 World Series location, is easy to enter and exit.

The negatives …

Dang, it’s old, looks like it and acts like it. The restroom and concessions facilities are antiquated. We’ve been spoiled by what we’ve experienced at Honda Center, Crypto.com Arena and SoFi Stadium and will be, too, when we get around to checking out the Intuit Dome.

The past two CIF-SS Division 1 football finals were played at old places, too, the Rose Bowl and the Coliseum. But those are grand venues.

Mater Dei wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, right, makes a touchdown catch in front of St. John Bosco cornerback Frankie Edwards III in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship football game the Coliseum in Los Angeles on Friday, November 24, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)

CIF-SS assistant commissioner Thom Simmons explained that choices were limited.

The Rose Bowl and Coliseum are unavailable because of UCLA and USC games at those places the day after the Division 1 final. Revenue sharing with the participating schools, which Simmons said can be as much as $40,000 to a school in a Division 1 football final, is important to the Southern Section which covers all stadium costs and sometimes, Simmons added, the Southern Section loses money when having a game at a high-rent venue. Angel Stadium long ago became cost-prohibitive for CIF-SS football championships.

Saddleback College doesn’t work because the CIF-SS constitution requires equal everything, including seating, to be available to both teams. Saddleback College and renovated and shiny Hilmer Lodge Stadium at Mt. San Antonio College have much more seating on the home side than on the visitor’s side.

So the Division 1 final is at Veterans Stadium. Once the game is underway, the high-quality of the teams that will play in that game and the national championship implications will be what matters. Whether it’s another Mater Dei-St. John Bosco game or Mission Viejo is in it or someone else, the great players and the great plays will consume the attention of all.

Yet it remains disappointing that the best high school football in the nation will not have its championship game in a commensurate place.

NOTES

Santa Margarita football junior receiver Trent Mosley, with a foot in a walking boot, did not play last week when the Eagles lost to Orange Lutheran 13-10 at Orange Coast College. He was All-Orange County first team and a Trinity League co-MVP last season, the latter honor especially impressive because those awards usually go to someone on a league championship team but Santa Margarita was a third-place team last year. Mosley spent last week’s game in the coaches’ booth, making his inability to play an educational experience for himself whereas many players in his situation would have just hung out on the sidelines. …

When Servite quarterback Leo Hannan was unable to play against JSerra a couple of weeks ago because of a knee injury, Hannan wore a headset so he could listen in on coaches’ communications and play calls. Again, a top player finding a way to learn and improve. …

Football lineman Jacob Maiava transferred from Santa Margarita to Crean Lutheran, quarterback Michael Tollefson transferred from JSerra to Tustin but neither was granted athletic eligibility at their new schools. Both recently moved out of state, Maiava to Hawaii, where he enrolled at Kahuku High, and Tollefson to Arizona, and is now enrolled at Mountain Pointe. Kahuku sometimes plays Orange County teams – Mater Dei traveled there and beat Kahuku 38-7 in September. …

Narbonne’s football team won its first two Marine League games by forfeit because the other teams in the league are boycotting their games against the Harbor City school. Narbonne has two more league games on its schedule, and those schools have stated they too will choose to forfeit rather than play Narbonne. Those four opponents allege that Narbonne breaks rules to attract football players. Narbonne lost to Los Alamitos 49-6 on Aug. 30. …

Mater Dei’s girls volleyball team swept Los Alamitos in three sets Wednesday in the first round of pool play in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs. The Griffins, who have played their best of late, certainly made the Monarchs work for it. The scores: 25-22, 25-23, 25-23. …

Mater Dei is home against Redondo in the second round of pool play on Tuesday. Los Alamitos plays at Sunset League rival Huntington Beach on Tuesday. Los Alamitos and Huntington Beach split their two league matches, both of which went to five sets. …

Two O.C. girls volleyball teams meet Saturday in the Division 3 second round: St. Margaret’s at Cypress. …

The cross country season is mostly quiet for several days before league finals are held, many of them Nov. 1. CIF-SS prelims are Nov. 15 and 16 at Mt. San Antonio College. CIF-SS finals are Nov. 23 at Mt. SAC. …

CIF-SS boys water polo playoffs brackets will be released Saturday. A committee made up of members of the CIF-SS Boys Water Polo Advisory Committee, mostly coaches, will decide the number of teams and the playoff format for the CIF-SS Open Division. Last year’s Open Division had eight teams. JSerra defeated Newport Harbor in the Open Division final. …

Massey Ratings will be used to place teams into the boys water polo playoff divisions. Among the top eight teams in the final Massey Ratings were No. 1 Newport Harbor, No. 2 JSerra, No. 5 Corona del Mar, No. 7 Mater Dei and No. 8 Santa Margarita. …

Fan Duel Sports now is the name of the cable TV channel that carries CIF-SS football. Fan Duel is an online gambling company. When Fan Duel televises the St. John Bosco-Mater Dei football game live Friday, the broadcasters’ microphones will continue to have CIF-SS logos on them. …

The Inuit Dome in Inglewood, the Clippers’ new home, will have a series of high school basketball games there Jan. 10. The seven games, all Mission League and Trinity League games, include Orange Lutheran vs. Servite, JSerra vs. Santa Margarita and Mater Dei vs. St. John Bosco.

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Orange County Register

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Fryer: Division 1 championship football game deserves better location

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