CIF TO HOLD STATE FOOTBALL TITLE GAMES  Overwhelming Approval meets pilot program that will give three championships

Posted 05-06-05 - David Carrillo, Bakersfield Californian    

California high school football finally joined the rest of the nation.

For the first time in the state's history, there will be a high school football championship, just like there is in the country's other 49 states.

A two-year pilot program of football championship games in three divisions will kickoff in December 2006 after the California Interscholastic Federation State Federated Council overwhelmingly approved the proposal by voice vote at a council meeting in Irvine Friday.

The idea of crowning a state champion has been bantered about throughout the state for years. Some were for it, others against it, and some considered winning any of the CIF's 10 section titles good enough.

Now with the new system in which the CIF said it will select three section championship teams from the South to play against three from the North, getting an opportunity to play for a state title in either the small, medium or large school division will be difficult for programs in the middle of the state, like the Bakersfield and Fresno areas, said Central Section historian Bob Barnett.

"The Southern Section, which is always tough because it is so big, is going to dominate, and do you think any of the Central Section schools, which are going to be considered as schools from the South, and not North, will receive any of the three spots?" said Barnett, whose been the Central Section's historian for 20 years and has been following section football since the late 1950s.

"It's going to be difficult to get a (Central Section) team in, and what happens if you win your section but don't get invited? It all depends on how you look at it."

Tehachapi High's Steve Denman, the dean of current Kern County football coaches who started at the school in 1982, said he views the new system as something "fun because it's all about the kids and it gives them another goal to set and something to accomplish."

But Denman, who has coached in 10 section titles games, four in the Central Section and six in the Southern Section, also understands the cons to the new system. Denman pointed to the selection process, one the CIF said would use computerized rankings as a guide, but point differential in final scores will not be a factor, as questionable.

"I hope it's fair, because you don't want the isolated areas like ours to get treated differently," said Denman of Tehachapi's lone high school, which under Denman has prospered in football, going 201-74-4 last winning section titles in 1993 and 2003.

"Change is good, though."

Arvin High coach Edgar Mares said prolonging a typical 10-game regular season before the playoffs, which the champion usually plays four games to be crowned, could be tricky for schools who boast multi-sport athletes.

"A lot of our football players play basketball, soccer and wrestling in the winter season, and they are solid athletes," said Mares, adding that he played on Arvin's only football team winning a section title in 1990. "We haven't been in contention for a (section) title, but I'm concerned the other programs on campus could be hurt if ours guys have to play football another week.

"That's 15 weeks of games. A lot of wear and tear on the body."

Also passing unanimously by voice vote at the meeting were three different proposals relating to steroids, said Emmy Zack, the CIF's sports information director.

The first calls for all coaches to take a certified coaching education program, with a large segment of the course dealing with steroids and their dangers, by Dec. 31, 2008.

The second requires all member schools to adopt written policies against the use of steroids that must be signed by students and parents.

The third calls for schools to prohibit coaches and other personnel from selling, promoting and distributing any muscle-building, performance-enhancing supplements. It also prohibits schools and districts from accepting any sponsorship that produce muscle-building, performance-enhancing substances.

Zack said substances such as Creatine fall into this category while energy drinks like Gatorade and Red Bull don't.

"Some of the things (passed) were things the Kern High School District has already implemented," said Centennial athletic director Gary Fowler of preventing drug use among high school athletes. "We'll see how far it goes."