The first varsity football home game of the season against Sotomayor High School was scheduled for Aug. 29, but was canceled the day before, leaving many fans confused as to why.
Why exactly do games get canceled? Here’s what we found out.
Not enough players qualify…
The game between the Wolves and Sotomayor Wildcats was canceled because Sotomayor did not have enough players who met football requirements to play on Aug. 29.
In order to play, athletes must have paperwork filled out by a doctor, then get cleared by the school. Football, however, has another requirement — athletes must attend ten practices prior to participating in any game. Sotomayor had enough players on their roster, but not enough of them attended the required ten practices, causing them to forfeit their first two games and adding another win to the Wolves’ season record.
Even though the football team started the season with a bang, beating Mendez High School 31-7 on Aug. 28, and even though the marching band, cheerleaders and football players practiced endlessly leading up to the game, the season’s much-anticipated second, non-league match against Sotomayer was not to be.
Bad weather, including excessive heat…
Cancellations due to weather conditions are very common, especially affecting outdoor sports. Last school year, girls flag football and track and field teams faced canceled competitions due to inclement conditions.
The flag football team had a game scheduled against Arleta High School, but due to temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, the game was canceled. Also, following heavy rains at the end of the Spring 2024 semester, track and field meets were canceled because the track was soaked.
LAUSD and the Office of Environmental Health and Safety released the Safety Alert Plan in July 2024, which states rules that coaches must follow to keep their teams safe during excessive heat. If the exceeds 100 degrees, all outdoor practices and games must be canceled.
Oops, bad communications…
Another reason for canceled games is when a game is scheduled, but the opposing school doesn’t actually field a team. Last year, a junior varsity softball game against Panorama High School was scheduled, but canceled at the last minute because Panorama didn’t have a JV softball team to play against. The Van Nuys softball team didn’t find this out until a couple of hours before the game was supposed to take place.
Choosing not to play…
The last reason open division and Division I teams choose not to play lower-level teams because they don’t want to waste time and money for games that they won’t win (and vice-versa for lower division teams playing open or Division I teams).
Open Division teams are the strongest group of teams, while Division IV are lower performing. Teams are ranked based on their prior year’s performance. High school sports divisions in California are determined by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) using various methods. For most sports, the CIF uses computer rankings along with base divisions, allowing teams to move up or down one division from their base, with some exceptions.
In football, the ranking system considers factors like schedule strength and win quality to place top-ranked teams in Division 1 and subsequent divisions. Cross country and track and field use enrollment-based divisions, while some sports, like girls volleyball, use a power ranking system throughout the season to determine the top teams for the Division 1 playoff bracket.
Last season, the baseball team had two games scheduled against Panorama. The first game was played April 18 and the Wolves won 16-3, but due to rain, the second game was rescheduled to the end of the season. Before the end of the season rolled around, Panorama’s season record was zero wins and 13 losses — so the team decided to forfeit their last game against the Wolves to not waste team resources like money for buses.
For the JV softball team, it was the other way around. The Wolves are a Division IV team and they were scheduled to play the San Fernando Tigers, a Division I team. Since the first game was a complete blow-out by the Tigers, the team decided to forfeit the second game since the first was so one-sided. They decided that playing Van Nuys wasn’t even worth the effort.
The final word…
So while cancellations do occasionally happen, fans and players alike often feel like they’re left in the lurch, especially when the news comes at the last minute. These cancellations can be disappointing and disruptive, affecting team morale, fan engagement, and even the overall season schedule.
Understanding the reasons behind these cancellations — whether it’s due to player eligibility issues, extreme weather conditions, communication errors, or strategic decisions by teams — can help everyone involved better prepare for and cope with such situations.
While frustrating, these cancellations are typically made with player safety, fairness, and resource management in mind, ultimately aiming to maintain the integrity of the sport and the well-being of the athletes.
