Temescal Cyn High School prepping for return to sports

BY Ariana Shah

With the state loosening its grip on youth sports participation, Temescal Canyon High School is prepping its teams for the return to competition. Most Canyon Lake high school students attend Temescal Canyon.

The California Department of Public Health made significant updates to its guidelines for youth and high school sports last week, paving the way for counties and school districts to start planning for multiple sports in the coming days and weeks, including high school football, if certain health conditions and safety protocols are met.

The state health agency adjusted its colored tier system to allow outdoor, high-contact sports such as football, water polo and soccer to be played in the less restrictive red (substantial risk) or purple (widespread risk) tiers in the state’s COVID-19 monitoring system with conditions. The sports had previously been slotted in the harder-to-reach orange tier (moderate risk).

Starting today, outdoor, high-contact sports can be played in the lower tiers in counties with an “adjusted case rate equal to or less than 14 per 100,000” and with regular weekly testing for athletes and coaches.

And while outdoor volleyball was also moved to the red tier from the orange, the update didn’t provide much relief for sports such as basketball, volleyball and wrestling, which are in the most difficult to reach tier, yellow, if contested inside.

Assistant principal and athletic director Daniel Bosna said he is excited and hopeful for a return to sports this season.

“I don’t currently have that many details,” he said. “As of now, the only sports going on are our purple sports.”

The purple sports at the school are cross country, cycling and tennis which started this week. Daniel said track and swimming will start up in late March. He is hoping baseball and softball will start in late March as well, but the county would need to be in the Red Tier.

Basketball coach Kevin Quint is optimistic for this year.

“Because of COVID-19 restrictions, we have not yet begun our season,” Kevin said. “We have been able to do outside conditioning, but no practices or games. Our district and administration have done a great job of taking our student-athletes safety into consideration while providing opportunities for athletic enrichment to go along with country and state guidelines.”

Canyon Lake student/athlete Jake Merrifield is excited about the sports news.

“Wrestling season at Temescal has yet to begin or likely to happen in the next month,” he said. “As a senior, I’m planning to continue wrestling next year in college. I hope to expose myself to more colleges and impress them. I have traveled to Idaho, Nevada and Iowa for club wrestling tournaments throughout 2020 and 2021.”