History

Sunset Rewind History

How this all started

When the pandemic shut down schools (and football) in California in 2020, the Sunset Argonauts football team was formed by calling the football coaches in the Sunset League and asking if they knew any players that wanted to play football.

In a matter of weeks, an underground community was formed. Football players, coaches and parents quickly organized a league where kids could play the sport they loved. No stadiums. No cheerleaders. No press box. No field goal posts. No parking lot. Just discounted team jerseys, a few referees and football games.

By Christmas Eve (the second practice) there were 57 players, and each Sunset League team was represented (except Los Alamitos, who formed their own team).

Because the community colleges were also not playing football, the staff was from local JUCO coaches (CIF does not allow high school coaches to coach “club” teams) that were happy to be back on the gridiron.

On January 2, 2021 at 8am the first game was played. The first game on the “field of dreams”(a football field in a cornfield out in unincorporated Corona).

Oh, and two broadcasters.

In order to get the action to family and friends, the parents hired broadcasters Alex Crawford and Howard Croom to do live radio/streaming.Alex and Howard would drive to the field of dreams and set up their 6-foot plastic table before sunrise. The generator needed a long extension cord, so it was not too loud and interrupted the broadcast. The Internet connection was just good enough. Family and friends got to hear the game.

All in all, roughly 1,400 players from all over California made up 32 teams in the Winner Circle Champions League (WCCL). Eight games were played on Saturday. Eight games were played on Sunday. Alex and Howard would call 4 or 5 games in a day, quickly studying rosters and asking players and coaches how to pronounce some of the more difficult last names.

Everyone learned a lot during those weeks at the field of dreams. One thing that really hit us was how much people LOVED coverage of high school football. And with so many new friends from the Sunset League schools, it
was just a natural fit to invest in Alex and Howard and see what they could do.

That’s how Sunset Rewind got started. We hope you enjoy the website.