Worry in SSF

[colhenrylives]

The football situation at South San Francisco continues to deteriorate. After going 0-10 in 2018 (worst record in school history) and allowing 43 points per game, the Warriors are 0-3 so far in 2019 and allowing nearly 57 points per outing vs. a schedule that is anything but daunting. The program, once one of the best on the Peninsula, is mired in a depressing 13-game losing streak and is no longer competitive. That's a damning conclusion but it's sadly true. The JV unit has played two games (it has a forfeit win) and has lost them both by a combined score of 80-0. Last year's JV's were 0-10 with three forfeit losses. The SSF varsity, which has not had a winning record since 2012, is being coached by its third staff in four years and shows no signs of improvement. The roster remains small. The question arises: Will (or can) the Warriors finish out the season? Fingers are crossed in the Industrial City as this stunning decline persists.

 

[colhenrylives]

Tonight, the South City JV team forfeited to Carlmont. And the SSF varsity trailed the Scots, 65-0, in the second half...and that's the depressing final score. The Warriors, 0-5, are allowing about 56 points per outing _ and that's with a running clock through much of the second half week after week. This is not going to end well at all.

 

[colhenrylives]

Woodside vs. South San Francisco. The Game of the Century. Ouch.

 

[bella123]

Heard Tyreese Knox was suiting up in a few weeks against SSF, even at 50+ could prob pad his career stats with another 100 yard game

 

[MC415]

Woodside vs. South San Francisco. The Game of the Century. Ouch.

Might have to be played via Madden 2020 or with their robotics team

 

[colhenrylives]

Greg Jones must be shaking his head in sad wonder at what's happened to his alma mater's football program.

 

[colhenrylives]

The other school in SSF, El Camino, is struggling again as well. The Colts, with a small roster, are 0-5 and some of those losses have been utter beat-downs.

 

[CityVibesII]

Gentrification takes its toll in South San Francisco.

 

[colhenrylives]

Gentrification takes its toll in South San Francisco.

It's much more than that. Yes, there have been demographic/ethnic changes in SSF over the years. No one would deny that. But a serious bottom line involves the administrations at both EC and SSF. Are these folks committed to quality athletic programs, including football, or not? The evidence is not promising.

 

[WM483]

It's much more than that. Yes, there have been demographic/ethnic changes in SSF over the years. No one would deny that. But a serious bottom line involves the administrations at both EC and SSF. Are these folks committed to quality athletic programs, including football, or not? The evidence is not promising.

When it comes to SSF I think the slate is clean. SSF just got a new principal this year. He is a former teacher at SSF when the Warriors were competitive. He has attended both JV and Varsity games this year. This isn't meant to say that things will change but I think time needs to be given. We all agree it can't get worse. I can't speak about EC but can only hope for the better.

 

[colhenrylives]

More bad news in SSF: The Warriors' JV team has so few players left that it forfeited this week's scheduled game vs. Capuchino. The SSF JV's forfeited its previous game as well. Only the winless varsity remains above water, just barely. Clearly, the administration (including the district superintendent and her trustees) cannot allow this situation to persist into 2020. Unless they could not care less.

 

[colhenrylives]

With two PAL football programs in dire straits (Woodside and SSF), maybe the league itself should step in and assist.

 

[Barking Dog]

What exactly can the league do for those schools? I'm not so sure the league can do anything if the administrations of these schools aren't doing anything themselves to address the problem.

 

[colhenrylives]

Agree.

 

[1315]

Hold dat....
A client was in today. His son plays Pleasanton Jr tackle. Is it true that both Foothill AND Cal have absorbed their frosh into JV?!

 

[LeeCorso1234]

What exactly can the league do for those schools? I'm not so sure the league can do anything if the administrations of these schools aren't doing anything themselves to address the problem.

Why not send a Lyft for the remaining 9 Gilroy kids to and from practice? That would be a win win for everyone.

 

[observer22]

Hold dat....
A client was in today. His son plays Pleasanton Jr tackle. Is it true that both Foothill AND Cal have absorbed their frosh into JV?!

I know Cal did not have enough players in the program to field 3 complete teams, so yes they disbanded the frosh team. It’s really too bad as frosh is a lot of kids’ first try at football. Now they not only have to play with experienced kids who are older than them, but there’s no 5th quarter where they can get some first time valuable PT.

If Foothill also no longer has frosh, it’s only a matter of time before it’s gone completely in the area. In Tony Sanchez’ last season at Cal in 2008, there were over 70 kids on the frosh team.

 

[1315]

I know Cal did not have enough players in the program to field 3 complete teams, so yes they disbanded the frosh team. It’s really too bad as frosh is a lot of kids’ first try at football. Now they not only have to play with experienced kids who are older than them, but there’s no 5th quarter where they can get some first time valuable PT.

If Foothill also no longer has frosh, it’s only a matter of time before it’s gone completely in the area. In Tony Sanchez’ last season at Cal in 2008, there were over 70 kids on the frosh team.

Have to concur. 1315.1 “tried” FB as it was a fall sport that would “excuse” a sax player from after school marching band- a ruse, of course, by the band teacher to recruit frosh. Last year had more catches as a true Y than even the deLa first teamer. 1315.2 saw first skill action as a frosh, broke school records and East Bay HM as a senior.

If true for both Foothill and Cal High, that’s a huge drop off from only a decade ago. I know some frosh coaches absolutely love taking raw athleticism and turn it into skilled and confident upperclassmen, while others simply want to move upward. I remember at one banquet frosh HC (hey Wm.) told two varsity starters to stand. “These two were 5th quarter frosh. Now they were integral parts of a successful season. Freshmen! That could be you in three years.”

 

[LecheDeMiPalo]

More bad news in SSF: The Warriors' JV team has so few players left that it forfeited this week's scheduled game vs. Capuchino. The SSF JV's forfeited its previous game as well. Only the winless varsity remains above water, just barely. Clearly, the administration (including the district superintendent and her trustees) cannot allow this situation to persist into 2020. Unless they could not care less.

I have an idea and not some smart ass answer either.

With numbers declining in football, the CIF needs to step in and begin allowing continuation school and students from non-football participating schools to compete at schools that do have football. For example, allow Westmoor students to play for Jefferson and Oceana kids to play for Terra Nova.

When it comes to continuation school students, bump up the academic eligibility requirements so that they are not only making up credits but also improving as students. I'm willing to bet that there is a fair share of good football players between Baden and CDS.

 

[colhenrylives]

...not to mention 8-man football...

 

[colhenrylives]

November 9 in South San Francisco is shaping up to be a date that will live in negative PAL sports history. It's quite possible, if not entirely likely, that the annual football game between the two South City high schools, El Camino and SSF, will be a contest between two winless teams. That's never occurred before. Both are now favored to be 0-9 when that game is played next month, assuming that both units make it that far without putting an early end to 2019 prior to that afternoon. The traditional affair, dubbed the Bell Game, has been a fixture in the town since the early 1960s. But this year's event will mark the absolute low point in the rivalry. The two fading programs are members of the PAL Lake Division, the league's weakest. There had been some hope that, perhaps, El Camino could beat another depressing Laker, Woodside, but, no, the slumping Wildcats, winless to that point too, managed to eke out a W vs. the Colts last week. That sets up the forgettable November confrontation in the Industrial City. There should be plenty of available seats.

 

[berdooman]

My dad was a teacher at SSF in the mid-1960s and would take us to the Warrior games, especially when they played El Camino. We'd park in a cul de sac behind See's and walk up some steps and across a field to the football stadium. It was always packed ... parents, marching bands, student sections. A huge deal. Greg Jones (UCLA, Minnesota Vikings) was the South City star. I think it was several years into the rivalry before El Camino scored against SSF as the Warriors were a power a the time. Good times.

 

[colhenrylives]

South City HS was strong for decades. It is only lately that the program has deteriorated to this point. A lot of factors are involved. They have been discussed previously. There have been a few comments indicating hope for the future. We're going to have to wait and see on that. For now, it's a considerable reclamation project. Fortunately, the PAL Lake itself is at a decidedly low point too. So becoming competitive among the league bottom feeders should not be all that daunting. We're not talking about putting Menlo-Atherton and Sacred Heart Prep on the schedule. But it will take an administrative commitment, a full-time teacher/head coach and lots of hard work throughout the years to come to return the Warriors to something resembling a respectable program.

 

[SpeedCity51]

I wonder if we will get to a point where might see some school districts just have one team where every kid at a district school is eligible to play for?

 

[colhenrylives]

That may depend on whether public school districts determine that football is worth funding at all. Liability insurance issues, finally, may become the overwhelming factor in all of this.

 

[Lil49erCoach]

Or... Pop Warner, AAU, Babe Ruth/Little League/Soccer raise their age limits to 18 and the sports become club. I would think that it would reduce the number of teams, players would play that wanted to play, etc. Impacts to the schools would be immense, but as the song goes - The times, they are a changin'...

 

[RLS13]

I wonder if we will get to a point where might see some school districts just have one team where every kid at a district school is eligible to play for?

I believe in the not to distant future you will see this. Just in order to maintain a healthy, competitive roster. I see a day where schools combine to form a "club" team. In some cases it may be a private and a public school, other cases it may be two schools from neighboring districts.

 

[SpeedCity51]

Or... Pop Warner, AAU, Babe Ruth/Little League/Soccer raise their age limits to 18 and the sports become club. I would think that it would reduce the number of teams, players would play that wanted to play, etc. Impacts to the schools would be immense, but as the song goes - The times, they are a changin'...

Personally I think this would be a better setup.

 

[da real]

If school district's decide to get out of the business of football for insurance reasons, club football would struggle with the premiums as well.

8 man football still will have issues obtaining insurance that covers brain injuries (CTE, dementia, etc)

Its criminal that the CIF has continued to increase the number of games played. You would think they would be reducing the amount of games for the health and safety of the players.

 

[SpeedCity51]

If school district's decide to get out of the business of football for insurance reasons, club football would struggle with the premiums as well.

8 man football still will have issues obtaining insurance that covers brain injuries (CTE, dementia, etc)

Its criminal that the CIF has continued to increase the number of games played. You would think they would be reducing the amount of games for the health and safety of the players.

If we follow this to it’s logical conclusion then schools will gradually drop football programs due to either insurance premiums, lack of numbers, or a combo of both. Then eventually pop warner probably expands to field teams for teenagers. If the insurance became to expensive then eventually the NFL would step in and assist financially or set up its own youth leagues. Would it be expensive? Definitely. But I don’t see how the NFL could survive if there was no way for teenagers to play organized tackle football.

 

[da real]

This has all taken place prior to an increase in concussion lawsuits at the youth or college level or a CTE test for the living.

You are right, the nfl will set up youth academies at some point.

 

[colhenrylives]

El Camino is no longer winless. The Colts pulled off a 12-6 OT upset vs. Capuchino Friday. winless SSF, on the other hand, was routed again, this time by Jefferson, 41-0.

 

[colhenrylives]

So it comes down to this: The two prep football programs in South San Francisco (both members of the PAL's Lake Division) will meet in their annual finale Saturday at 2 p.m. at El Camino. The Colts are 1-8 and allowing 32 points per game; their opponent, South City, is 0-9 and permitting 45 points per outing (and scoring a total of just three TD's themselves in 2019 thus far). The combined 1-17 record is by far the worst in the rivalry's 58-year history. El Camino is a prohibitive favorite. There won't be a JV game; South City shut down that team to bolster its varsity roster weeks ago. South City, founded in 1913, went 0-10 in 2018. This two-year run is, without question, the worst in the school's football history. It's fair to state that 2019 marks the lowest ebb _ ever _ for high school football in the Industrial City, once a West Bay blue collar bellwether of gridiron grit and grind. No more. The ghost of Ray DeJong is weeping.