Tomales, Branson impacted by cancellations

Two of the smaller high schools in Marin felt the effects of the Coastal Mountain Conference’s decision earlier this week to cancel most fall and winter sports.

Tomales and The Branson School both have teams that compete in leagues within the CMC, the athletic conference comprised of primarily smaller high schools in Lake, Napa, Mendocino and Sonoma counties. The conference voted 17-3 on Monday to cancel the fall sports of football, volleyball and soccer along with the winter sports of basketball and wrestling, according to the Lake County Record Bee. Cross country was the lone fall sport not cancelled.

Tomales was the hardest hit of the two Marin schools. Its basketball teams both play in the North Central League IV, its soccer teams in the North Central League II and its 8-man football team in the North Central League III.

Branson plays football in the North Central League IV against other 8-man teams.

CMC Commissioner Robert Pinoli told the Lake County Record Bee that time was a “critical” factor in the decision.

“We’re running out of time to play these sports,” he said.

Under the current guidelines for youth sports from the California Department of Public Health, cross country is the only traditional fall sport that can begin for counties in the purple tier. Soccer, football, basketball, volleyball and wrestling are all in more restrictive tiers.

Branson football head coach Max Pond said he had to break the news to his team.

“Mainly I feel bad for the seniors,” he said Tuesday.

The Bulls have been one of the premier teams in the Northern California 8-man football circuit. In 2017, the first season they played in the NCL III, they went 5-2 overall and 2-2 in league. In 2018, they went 9-1 overall

and 5-1 in league, with their only loss coming to league champion Stuart Hall. In 2019, playing in the NCL IV, they broke through to claim the league title with a 4-0 league mark and an 8-2 overall record.

Pond said his team had high hopes again for this season.

“We would have been a good team, no doubt,” he said.