'COVID Outbreak' Forces High School Football Team To Forfeit, Reports Say

The Palisadian-Post reports that Palisades Charter High will forfeit its football game due to a 'COVID-19 outbreak' on the team.

Palisades Charter High's football team had to forfeit its game against San Pedro Friday due to a COVID outbreak, according to reports. | Samuel Mawanda

Palisades Charter High School had to forfeit its football game against San Pedro High School after a COVID-19 outbreak on the team, according to Palisadian-Post

The announcement didn't come until Thursday, which left San Pedro without time to find an opponent to play. The Pirates will be out of a game, too.

“We were really looking forward to the game, but unfortunately, due to illness across the team—and for the safety of not only our players but the San Pedro players as well—we won’t be able to play the game tomorrow,” Palisades athletic director Rocky Montz told the Post.

The Post reported that Palisades coach Dylen Smith said about 15 players came down sick this week, including a starting wideout and a significant number of players on defense.

Palisades drops to 1-4 with the forfeit ahead of a bye week next week. The Dolphins will be back in action on October 2 when they start Western League play against Venice High. San Pedro moves to 5-0 with the forfeit victory and will play Laguna Beach on September 25.

IS COVID BACK?

According to ABC7 in Los Angeles, California is experiencing an increase in COVID-19 activity with health officials reporting rising test positivity rates, emergency room visits and other indicators that suggest the virus is spreading more widely since the summer months.

Public health experts say seasonal increases in COVID-19 cases during the summer have become a familiar pattern.

"We have for the past few summers seen COVID peak in the late summer. We test a set number of specimens every week to get a sense of what's trending in the community," Dr. Sharon Balter with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health told ABC7.

PALISADES FIRE

The Palisades Fire roared through Pacific Palisades in January of 2025 and burned more than 23,000 acres. It took a year before students and athletic events were welcomed back on campus in 2026.

In a remarkable feat, the campus welcomed back students to classrooms and on-campus activities starting Tuesday, Jan. 27 for the first time since the fire which sparked the night of Jan. 7, 2025.

Despite all the damage, the majority of the campus was surprsingly unscathed by the fire.

The backside of the campus saw damage. A number of classrooms and some bungalow-type buildings burned down, but a majority of the campus is unscathed.

The football field and baseball field are fully intact. The front of the school, where a large grass quad sits, is as green as can be. The basketball gym is untouched. The aquatic center is in great shape.