Pioneers-Grizzlies canceled; no refs

The players were dressed and ready, fans were in the stands and the band was playing.

It felt like the start of the high school football season, except for one thing: There were no officials.

Friday’s game at Spring Valley between the Grizzlies and Canyon Springs was canceled after officials failed to show.

“As always, we do this for the kids. And I’m upset because they’ve been waiting 10 months for this essentially,” Pioneers coach Chris Littmann said. “And now it’s out. It’s no one’s fault, but I just feel bad for the kids.”

The game was initially delayed as coaches and administrators from both schools frantically made phone calls to try to round up officials. An announcement that the game had been called off was made about 7:45 p.m., 45 minutes after the scheduled start time.

“The game was confirmed by both athletic directors, and they just didn’t show,” Littmann said.

Fans were given a ticket stub as they left that will be honored at Spring Valley’s next home game. Canyon Springs fans will have their ticket stubs honored at the next game at Canyon Springs. Neither team has an open date on its schedule, so it appeared unlikely the game would be rescheduled.