How this South Bay high school is keeping football program alive amid wave of canceled seasons
CUPERTINO, Calif. (KGO) -- At least half a dozen Bay Area high schools have canceled their football programs this year because of low participation, but Monta Vista High School in Cupertino has taken a different approach to keep its team on the field.
Fans attending a game last Friday may not have noticed anything unusual. Cheerleaders performed, the school band played and spectators filled the stands.
According to Monta Vista Head Football Coach Ceazar Agront, avoiding cancellation required rethinking the traditional structure of the program.
"We just had to break free from all the molds and really said, 'Hey how do we save football for this year?' Otherwise, you know what, we would have been like a Skyline, probably," Agront said.
MORE: Oakland high school becomes latest in East Bay to end its football season early
Agront was referring to Oakland's Skyline High School, one of at least half a dozen Bay Area schools that canceled its football season because it did not have enough players.
To keep the program operating, Agront and school administrators made the team independent. Monta Vista is expected to play six games this season instead of 10. Two of those games will be junior varsity contests and four will be varsity matchups. Agront said opposing teams were selected based on comparable size and talent levels, a move that may have encouraged more students to participate.
"Some coaches had even asked, 'Isn't that kind of cheating?' I was like, no. It's not because that other school is probably looking for the same thing. Right? We want like opponents where we can both not have to hold our breath about devastating injuries," Agront said.
Across the Bay Area, football programs in Richmond, Concord, San Jose, Fremont and Oakland have canceled their seasons. However, statewide participation declines have been less severe.
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"This last year saw about a 4% decline in California schools and participation, which isn't necessarily a huge number, but it tends to happen in pockets where you'll have an area where, like right now, three to four schools will drop varsity football, and it tends to be pretty regional," said UCSF's Dr. Brian Feeley.
Feeley said football remains among the riskiest sports for young athletes, though it is unclear whether safety concerns are the primary factor behind the decline in participation. Schools throughout the region are also experiencing declining enrollment, and students have additional athletic options, including flag football.
As some Bay Area programs struggle to field enough players, Monta Vista's independent model has allowed the school to continue its football season while several neighboring programs have shut down.
