A high school football game scheduled Friday in the East Bay has been canceled due to safety concerns, school officials said.
The game between San Leandro High and Oakland's McClymonds High was set to take place at 4 p.m. at Burrell Field in San Leandro.
Rumors of some kind of violent threats were first picked up and investigated by the San Leandro Police Department. The treats appeared to be related to a conflict between individuals outside of both school communities. Police in San Leandro notified police in Oakland and both school districts.
Three varsity football players at McClymonds High said that the threats may have been gang related, but neither school district has confirmed that.
Administrators met Wednesday to try to come up with alternative plans.
Friday's game would have been a pre-season match up, so if it can be rescheduled it won't be played for several weeks--when both school's seasons are finished.
"We were talking about possibly doing a game, perhaps with no fans, to ensure the safety of everybody involved," said John Sasaki, a spokesperson for the Oakland school district. "But that, in the end, wasn't able to be worked out."
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Parents had mixed reactions to the cancellation.
"It's a tragedy, let the kids play," said Greg Morris, a San Leandro High School parent. "All the peripheral stuff, handle that on your time but don't affect the kid's ability to play."
"If there is a safety issue, then they need to see what's happening there," said Denice Wooden, another San Leandro High parent.
San Leandro and Oakland officials are still investigating the threats and will update the school districts with any new information.
