CIF-Masters Meet vacates Carter, heads for Temecula Valley
Carter High School will not host this winter's CIF-Masters wrestling meet, Lions coach Kevin Hennessey said.
"They decided not to hold it," Hennessey told the Prep-dog today. "I don't know why."
The meet, scheduled for Feb. 27, will now be held at Temecula Valley High School.
"They have a great big facility there," Hennessey said.
So does Carter, which has one of the largest gymnasiums in the state - with room for three full-cout basketball courts and, obviously, many wrestling mats.
"The school district doesn't want them to handle it," CIF-SS spokesman Thom Simmons said.
Asked to elaborate, Simmons said to "ask the school."
Carter athletic director Joe Paluba was not immediately available for comment.
District spokesperson Syeda Jafri said she would get back to me on this issue.
School officials hailed the CIF-Masters as a boon for the school when it arrived in Rialto in 2006, mentioning the notoriety the young school would receive. Student groups also made money by setting up food stands at the event. The meet also benefited many city businesses because of the influx of people.
The CIF-Masters Meet is the qualifying meet for CIF-State. It attracts schools from throughout the Southern Section, which is easily the largest in the state.
Prepdog-
How did you not laugh when district spokesperson Syeda Jafri stated that "we wanted to be generous to another school..... we are all about academics?" What Rialto Unified is not about, is any type of athletic excellence. What used to be a a shining star (ATHLETICS)for the district has been reduced to a pile of rubble and this is just another example.... It is sad for the coaches who give their blood sweat and tears and even worse for the student athletes. No wonder the Walker's, Tualoia's, Martinez's, etc etc etc always seem to leave to play elsewhere.
Reading between the lines and trying to interpret what was said regarding this ... my sense is that Carter High maybe didn't feel like the all-out effort the CIF-Masters Meet would take was worth it, as opposed to focusing on schoolwork/teaching. It's too bad because it seemed like the teams and clubs made some dough off running those food booths, and we all know how difficult fund-raising can be. I thought the Masters was a nice plum for the school and it was better for the section because the school is centrally located. How many miles now will Barstow High, for example, travel to get to the Masters meet at Temecula Valley?