Thunderstorm stops Carpinteria-Santa Ynez at halftime

Carpinteria quarterback, Ian Craddock, moves the ball upfield for the Warriors.

For Santa Ynez, it was the best of halves.

For Carpinteria, it was the worst of halves.

For eveyone else, it was the only half they got to see.

Mother Nature and CIF safety rules had the last word Friday night as a passing thunderstorm forced the non-league game to be suspended after a long halftime delay, with Santa Ynez ahead 21-0.

“We could finish it another time, it could be declared a no contest or the score could stand,” said Carpinteria coach Ben Hallock. “That will be up to someone else, I’m not sure who right now but someone at a higher level will decide that.”

A higher power was speaking Friday night and the officials were listening. By CIF rules, officials are supposed to wait 30 minutes after the last thunderclap is heard before re-starting a game suspended due to lightning. At several junctures, it appeared that might be possible as the rain stopped and dozens of fans monitoring Doppler radar on hand-held devices reported the weather cells moving on. But neither technology nor the internet could save this one.

Every time a new start time was announced, another clap of thunder re-set the clock.