SACRAMENTO, Calif. – In the interest of public health and the well-being of coaches, athletes, parents and officials during the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, St. Francis High School's annual "Holy Cup" soccer game with Christian Brothers will take place in the presence of limited spectators, athletics department officials announced this week.
The Troubadours-Falcons matchup takes place on Friday, January 28, with the junior varsity Gold squad starting at 4 p.m. and the varsity team following at 6:30 p.m. The St. Francis JV Red team, which normally plays its home games on campus, will also join the other two teams at the Cristo Rey High School site, hosting the Rocklin frosh at 2 p.m.
The varsity game also serves as Senior Night, as it marks the final regular-season home game on the 2022 schedule.
The spectator policy for that game is as follows:
- Active student-athletes on each team – Rocklin frosh, CB jayvees and varsity, all three SF rosters – will receive two tickets to be distributed at their discretion.
- To accommodate the Senior Night festivities, senior players on St. Francis will not receive tickets but rather will be permitted up to four (4) family members to be placed on a gate list. A separate Google form on which to designate these guests has already been distributed to these athletes.
- Facial coverings, ideally N95/KN95-rated, should be worn by all spectators/staff at all times, regardless of vaccination status.
SFHS athletics director Mark McGreevy sent an email to all soccer athletes and their families earlier in the week, detailing these policies. "Thank you for your understanding. While the atmosphere will not be what is typical for this matchup, we are pleased to be able to host these special games," he said in the communication.
Holy Cup is one of several rivalry athletics events between St. Francis and Christian Brothers, Sacramento's two major private Catholic schools with female students. Among the others are Holy Court (volleyball), Holy Spikes (track & field) and Holy Hoops (basketball). The naming convention echoes the tradition of the long-standing Jesuit-CB Holy Bowl football game.
St. Francis hosts Davis (varsity only) on Monday and Elk Grove (varsity/JV Gold) on Thursday leading up to the January 28 meeting with the Falcons. The JV Red has home games against Rio Americano (Friday) and Oak Ridge (Tuesdaay) before its participation in the event with Rocklin.
NOTES: Cristo Rey High School is located at the intersection of Jackson Road and Florin-Perkins Road in Sacramento... With school in session at CRHS, families may only park in the east lot of the school (along Florin-Perkins) during the two JV games... The entrance for this lot is located to the south of campus along Jackson Road (CA-16)... The staff lot closest to the soccer field and outdoor basketball courts will also be closed to visitors... Additionally, the St. Francis "Booster-Q" event will not take place, as previously scheduled.
