I’m not sure why it was such a difficult decision but the site for Saturday’s CIF-Southern Section Mid-Valley Division championship game has been set for Arcadia High at 7:30 p.m. Apparently both sides had objections and the CIF-Southern Section office had to step in, something that displeased Monrovia principal Darvin Jackson.
“We’ve basically been fighting it for the last 24 hours,” Jackson said. “The difficulty was when you have all the representatives from all sides there, as well as CIF looking at the site.
“We could have kept arguing, but CIF was not going to agree. We were basically told we could not hold it at Monrovia. It wasn’t concession.”
Arcadia High School has been designated as the host site for Saturday’s CIF-Southern Section Mid-Valley Division title game between Whittier Christian and host Monrovia with the game time set for 7:30 p.m.
Both schools and CIF-SS officials came to a consensus on the site after it was determined Monrovia did not provide adequate seating for the visiting side.
“I think it’s a good fit for both schools and we look forward to getting ready for the game,” Heralds coach Sergio Gradilla said. “It’s a new turf surface, so that’s nice.”
Monrovia won last week’s coin toss to determine which school would host the game.
Monrovia school officials favored holding the game on campus and made their intent known at Monday’s CIF-SS luncheon, despite concerns from Whittier Christian.
“I don’t blame Monrovia for wanting to host, who wouldn’t want to host?” Heralds athletic director Rolland Esslinger said. “At the end of the day, this is about accommodating the fans and we’re happy the game will be played at Arcadia.”
Whittier Christian protested Monrovia High because of the size and view from the visitor’s stands.
“They can hold about 500 people and we’re expecting a crowd at least twice as big,” Esslinger said.
On the visiting side at Monrovia there is no platform for the bleachers, meaning many spectators can’t see past visiting players and spectators who are on the sidelines.
According to Esslinger, Monrovia principal Darvin Jackson and athletic director Randy Bell along with Esslinger and Whittier Christian principal Bob Brown met with CIF-SS Assistant Commissioner Rob Wigod and Director of Communications Thom Simmons at Monrovia on Tuesday afternoon to explore the school’s viability.
At the meeting Monrovia was told its football field was not suitable.
“They (CIF) felt there was inadequate seating because of the view,” Jackson said. “They basically had 50 yards of obstructed view (from the visiting stands).”
Jackson was disappointed the school was forced to change the venue but felt he had no choice.
“We’ve basically been fighting it for the last 24 hours,” Jackson said. “The difficulty was when you have all the representatives from all sides there, as well as CIF looking at the site.
“We could have kept arguing, but CIF was not going to agree. We were basically told we could not hold it at Monrovia. It wasn’t concession.”
Esslinger said the parties then drove to Arcadia, where the facilities were more than appropriate.
“They have a visitor’s side that holds 1,200-1,500 people with excellent visibility,” Esslinger said. “It think it was a total win-win.”
Esslinger further relayed the move would not cost Monrovia any additional funds since the CIF-SS office would cover moving fees.
As for the need for a bigger stadium, Esslinger said his school was sending at least four rooter busses to Arcadia.
Esslinger also said figures dictate there will be a big Heralds’ fan presence Saturday.
“We had 1,000 people versus Covina and expect at least the same size,” Esslinger said. “It’s Saturday night and the team is playing for its first championship in 20 years. We’ll have a good crowd.”
Staff writer Miguel Melendez contributed to this story.
