SLO County football team can’t play Fridays due to shortage of officials. Here’s new schedule
For as long as sports fans can recall, high school football games have always been played on Friday nights.
That tradition is history, however, for eight-man football at Coast Union High School in Cambria — at least for now.
This fall, the Broncos team will play seven of its nine games on Saturdays.
What’s the reason for the switch?
Coast Union athletic director Andrew Crosby, who also serves as head football coach, explained in an email that there is an ongoing shortage of game officials.
According to California Interscholastic Federation rules, available officials are assigned to 11-man games first, and those games are played on Friday nights.
As a result, eight-man teams have to scramble to locate officials.
Those officials are apparently only available on Thursdays and Saturdays.
Crosby said that the Broncos are still trying to get officials for Coast Union’s homecoming game against Coastal Christian on Friday Oct. 6, but the other eight games are fully staffed.
Prior to its home opener against Riverdale Christian, 5 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 31, Coast Union is hosting a four-team carnival scrimmage on Saturday, Aug. 19 at 10 a.m.
Open to the public, the scrimmage will feature the Broncos, San Luis Obispo Classical Academy, Frazier Mountain and Coastal Christian.
“We’ll play a round robin in which east contest will consist of each team getting 15 plays on offense and 15 plays on defense,” Crosby explained.
Fans in attendance will see two games going on in the stadium at the same time, from the 30-yard line to the goal line on each end of the field.
Who’s playing on Broncos football team this season?
Crosby, who coaches the defense, described this season’s team lineup.
“We’re going to have a solid defense this year with all the athletic, physical players we have,” he said. “Our philosophy remains the same: ‘Do your job.’ ”
According to Crosby, two linebackers — senior Adair Ponce and sophomore Alex De Alba — will be team captains. The third team captain is senior Manny Garcia, who plays end/corner.
Coast Union offensive coordinator Charlie Casale is in his 15th year of teaching creative strategies and motivating Bronco players.
Casale said Tony De Alba is the starting quarterback.
De Alba’s brother, Alex De Alba, will see action as a running back along with Garcia, Ramsus Garcia and Alex Lopez.
Ponce, a center, and guards Giovanni Garcia and Brian Diaz anchor the front line for Coast.
The receivers are Andrea Aguila and Sean Schalk, Casale said.
“We are executing well and have added a lot of wrinkles,” Casale explained in an email. The team has “an excellent group of freshmen who will contribute as the season progresses,” he said.
“The kids have a great team attitude with excellent work ethic,” the coach said.
Bronco home schedule
Here’s the Coast Union football team’s home game schedule:
Friday, Aug. 31, 5 p.m. versus Riverdale Christian
Saturday, Sept. 8, 7 p.m. versus Orcutt Academy
Saturday, Sept. 30, 6 p.m. versus Valley Christian Academy
Friday, Oct. 6, 7 p.m. versus Coastal Christian
