BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — High school football players throughout California are one step closer to having an equal playing field when it comes to state championship games. Senator Melissa Hurtado and Shafter High School are leading the way for these rule changes, all spurred by the recent championship game between Shafter and Orland High Schools.
"Small towns like Orland and Shafter are sometimes the most forgotten and disadvantaged communities in our state," said Senator Hurtado. "Their experience on that day was not what they had hoped for."
After Shafter High School played a football state championship on a rainy and muddy December night in Orland, Hurtado says she knew she had to something. The senator introduced SB 486, the text of which reads, in part:
This bill would require the California Interscholastic Federation to hold all state football championship games at a neutral location, as defined, that is comparable to the location of all other championship games.
Shafter Head Coach Jerald Perucci spoke to legislators in support of the bill.
"It was frustrating to know that my kids had the opportunity to play at the highest level a high school athlete can play in the State of California, and there was nothing special about it at all," said Perucci.
The text of the bill, which amends the current Education Code, uses Liberty High School's State Championship game in 2022 as an example for why the change is needed.
The Patriots played their game at Saddleback College on a turf field, plus their game was televised nationally by Spectrum Sportsnet.
"From the locker room, you get to being on the field, and the TV timeouts and the whole experience of being in a college stadium - to what we had to experience was a small girls' locker room with two toilets and no hot water," said Perucci.
Shafter High quarterback Ezekiel Osborne also spoke to the assembly in support of SB 486.
"We have all paid the same price; blood, sweat, and tears, plus time away from our families. How can you tell one group of us that we are worth less than our peers 14 miles down the road?" asked Osborne.
However, the CIF says financial roadblocks have prevented ensuring equal playing fields in the past. According to CIF Executive Director Ron Nocetti, the federation lost $90,000 this year by hosting state football championship games.
"We're not making a lot of revenue from the sport of football at our state championship games because of the expense to travel the teams to those games," said Nocetti.
State Senator Steven Glazer, while not opposing the concept, says there are other options besides legislation to address the issue.
"I hope that we can resolve it without a state law, but with appropriate action they might take," said Glazer.
SB 486 passed the committee vote with no opposition. It now heads to the floor of the California Senate for the vote that will potentially advance the bill to the State Assembly.
