It’s no secret – at least in the CIF-San Diego Section – that the numbers in terms of participation in high school sports are dwindling. That is most noticeably true when it comes to football. 
Dillon Baxter, Mission Bay
Photo by Kirt Winter
Sure, there are the usual blue-chippers such as Mission Bay’s Dillon Baxter, Escondido’s Ricky Seale and Valhalla’s Pete Thomas, to name a few.
But when it comes to the overall rank and file, the numbers are down.
Matt White, formerly a highly successful coach for years, as his teams won a pair of section titles at Marian Catholic in Chula Vista (now known as Mater Dei), said he has come to some real and troubling observations.
"There are dangerous issues facing high school football," White insists. "It starts with low numbers. The problems in the South Bay have been well documented. This is going on across the county. (Spring Valley) Monte Vista reported to (their game with) Lincoln with 28 suited varsity players. North County's San Pasqual dressed 30. Everyone knows about the city programs, which are being threatened with lack of funding. This anemia will only continue to spread."
Even bowl-bound Oceanside, unbeaten in its last 38 games, listed only 45 players on its CIFSDS championship roster against La Mesa Helix. Not a bad number unless you look back to the 1960s when teams like Grossmont and Helix had as many as 100 names on their freshmen rosters.
So why aren't these player participation numbers as high as in the past? One thing is a lack of patience. Everybody wants to be a starter. Kids tend to hang around and perform in a backup role only if they play for a championship team. If a new coach is attempting to resurrect a losing program, he will certainly have difficulty convincing student-athletes that playing for him is time well spent.
The top teams in the section right now are talent-based teams. Teams with blue-chippers who are better than anyone else’s "best" few kids. The troubling thing is that it does not look like it is going to get any better.
"Sports specialization doesn't count in football as it does in some of the other sports," White said. "You can't build a football program with five or six kids."
White recalls when the majority of teams in the CIFSDS played platoon football.
"Ten to 15 years ago hardly any teams had a kid playing both ways," he said.
That's not the case anymore. The talented teams have an average of six to seven players playing both offense and defense.
More than a lack of interest among potential athletes is there are too many teams in the county and not enough quality experienced coaches. Yet it goes deeper than that as those coaching at the JV and freshman levels are often as green as the students they coach.
The deteriorating numbers of boys wanting to play football cannot be blamed exclusively on the private schools that have the funds to offer scholarships. Those coaches willing to devote their lives to hustling talent below the high school level are more likely to win the "gold rush."
This endeavor used to be reserved for a few veteran coaches with a large staff of qualified assistants willing to track incoming eighth-graders no matter what their address may be.
Stop right there. What is the purpose of high school sports? To win a section title? Or at least a league crown. Granted, seeking a winning atmosphere is a worthy goal. But at what cost?
Think about it. Is it healthy if you are going to try to build a community around a high school to focus on bringing in out-of-area kids just to make the local program a winner?
In the CIFSDS there are far too many teams that are beaten before they ever step on the field. Yes, they fulfill the agenda of participation and there are no losers or winners, but it nonetheless dilutes the sport.
The continuous lack of state funding makes football an even bigger target for elimination. In the CIFSDS alone there are nearly 100 teams that participate in football, counting charter schools. At the same time, whether 11-man or 8-man football, it takes money to pay officials and coaches, no matter how weak a team might be.
One idea, albeit a long shot at best, is to create super teams.
The thinking here is to take high schools in the same general area and patch them together into one team. In doing so you potentially could alleviate many problems from lack of funds, participation and quality coaching.
It is an inexact science. Some schools are very hard to account for. One unofficial proposal in the CIFSDS is to compile 25 all-star teams. These teams would be placed in five leagues. There would be no divisions based on enrollment, as it would be based on geography only. The top two teams from each league would make the playoffs, plus two at-large teams. The thinking here is it would create great theater for the playoffs. Games would be much more meaningful and intense.
Other provisions in this proposal – that some would call a rouge idea – are the private and desert schools would have their own leagues, maybe their own playoffs.
Call it fantasy, but with fewer teams there would be need for fewer coaches at all three levels. Thus, perhaps there could be county playoffs at the non-varsity levels, which could well attract more kids into the programs.
Take this for what you will. It's just about kicking around what we may be facing in the future.
More football: CIFSDS finals
Division I: Chula Vista Eastlake took a 21-0 lead and then turned back a furious comeback bid by Vista to claim a 21-14 victory. Key statistic: Eastlake's Daniel Johnson had three interceptions.
Division II: Unbeaten in its last 38 games and winner of six straight section championships, Oceanside capitalized on six turnovers to defeat upstart Helix 26-10 in the CIFSDS finale. Devin Taverna scored two defensive touchdowns to lead Oceanside. The Pirates (13-0) will face San Jose's Bellarmine Prep in state Division I finals at the Home Depot Center in Carson on Friday at 8 p.m. Oceanside won the 2007 state title.
Division III: Cathedral Catholic (12-1) rallied to knock off Point Loma 20-14 in the CIFSDS finale at Qualcomm Stadium. The Dons have won 33 of their last 34 games.
Division IV: USC-bound Dillon Baxter led Mission Bay to a 48-17 romp over Valley Center. Baxter rushed for 384 yards and seven touchdowns on 26 carries, giving him 2,974 yards on the season, surpassing the 2,866 set by Cathedral Catholic's Tyler Gaffney in 14 games last year.
Division V: Bowl-bound Francis Parker belted Bishop's 55-20 in a game that was over by halftime, when the Lancers led 34-0. Parker will face Modesto Christian in the California State Bowl Smalls School title bout at 4 p.m. Friday at the Home Depot Center in Carson.
