SHAFTER, Calif. (KERO) — When Shafter high school’s head football coach found out the conditions of the field they would be playing on for a state championship, he and his staff proposed to the CIF to have the game moved to another venue.
“You put in the petition to move venues, and both teams have to agree to that, and Orland said no, which as a head, as a coach I would have said no as well," says Shafter high school's head football coach Jerald Pierucci. "I mean why would I give up my home-field advantage.”
Once coach Pierucci was told that Orland denied moving the title game to another venue, he knew that there was nothing he could do, but try to adapt his game plan to the field conditions which he felt would favor Orland.
CIF media relations officer Rebecca Brutlag responded via email stating: "A member school may ask their respective CIF section advisory committee member to bring an issue forward as an agenda item at the next advisory committee meeting."
“The problem I have is the fact that the CIF allowed it to happen. I mean the representatives should have walked on that field and said this is not worthy of a state championship game,” said Pierucci.
Regardless of the outcome, coach Pierucci says his returning players will be motivated to get back to a state championship after experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“There's the frustration and there’s the sadness in losing an opportunity like we did, but I am you know so proud of my guys, they never allowed anything to really get in their way, they played their butts off to the very end,” said Pierucci.
