As reported on ShastaCountySports.com on Wednesday, the Northern Athletic League (NAL) is the latest in the Northern Section to fall in line with last week’s statewide decision to push prep football and volleyball back to winter.

The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) announced on July 20 that all prep sports will be pushed back to the new year, which means football and volleyball around the state are now scheduled to begin in early January instead.

While the North Coast Section, which includes Humboldt and Del Norte counties, immediately announced it would follow the state directive, the inland Northern Section — which stretches from Yuba and Sutter counties up to the Oregon border — instead announced plans to defy the CIF and to try to hold traditional seasons.

The difficulty in such a move, however, appears to becoming more clear due to the continued spike in COVID-19 cases.

And on Wednesday, the NAL — which includes Anderson, Lassen and Yreka high schools — became the second league in the section to push back some fall sports.

Last week, the Eastern Athletic League (EAL), which includes Shasta, Enterprise, Foothill, Red Bluff, Chico and Pleasant Valley high schools, announced it would be doing so.

The two leagues still plan on holding individual sports such as cross country, tennis, golf and swimming in the fall.