Citrus Belt League (C.B.L.) is a high school sports league in the Inland Empire region within the Greater Los Angeles area of California's CIF Southern Section.
The Citrus Belt League is one of the five founding leagues of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) when established in 1913. It was the only Division I league in the San Bernardino-Riverside County area since its inception, until 2006, when CIF Southern Section releagued it to Division II.[1]
The league also organizes an Academic Decathlon competition.
The league dates back to the 1890s. Prior to CIF, founding members included Chaffey High School of Ontario, Redlands High School, Riverside High School (now known as Riverside Poly) and San Bernardino High School. School staff were not involved in most of the contests and anyone could play or coach.[2] In 1913, when the CIF Southern Section athletics was established, CBL was a founding member along with the Los Angeles League, Los Angeles County League, Channel League and Orange League.
The original CIF CBL included Riverside Poly, San Bernardino High School, Redlands High School, Rialto High School, and Ontario's Chaffey High School. During this tenure, Redlands High School and Chaffey High School played in 68 football matches between 1903 and 1986, making it one of the state's longest running and oldest rivalries in the sport. [3] Riverside, Ontario and San Bernardino, CA. high schools were to leave the league and be replaced with Fontana High School (FoHi) in 1962, Rialto's Eisenhower High School in 1967 and Colton High School in 1980.[4][5]
By the 1990's, multiple schools were added and replaced, including a four-year stint in which High Desert schools Apple Valley High School, Hesperia High School, and Victor Valley High School joined sporadically. High Desert high schools were eventually replaced with Fontana's A.B. Miller High School in 1991, and Redlands East Valley High School who joined in 1997. In the 2000's, Yucaipa High School joined in 2004, making it an eight school league until Rialto High School left in 2010, ending its 97 year membership.[6][7]
Then, in the 2012-13 season, FoHi left for the Sunkist League ending its sixty year membership, along with Colton High School. They are replaced by San Bernardino's Cajon High School and Redlands Citrus Valley High School's. [8] In the 2014–15 season, the league expanded to an eight-team realignment again, adding Rialto's Carter High School. When the Citrus Belt area leagues realigned for the 2017-2020 period, all Rialto, CA. high schools, including Eisenhower High School, left for the San Andreas League, ending that schools 45-year membership in the CBL, replaced by Beaumont High School. A.B. Miller also leaves for the Mountain League in 2017. Re-adjusting to a six league team once again.[9][10]
Other past members include Corona High School, Pomona High School Palm Springs High School, Moreno Valley High School, Riverside's Rubidoux High School, Ramona High School, San Bernardino's San Gorgonio High School, and Pacific High School.[3]