Southern Section Passes Anti-Violence Measure : High school athletics: Players ejected for fighting or leaving team area will be suspended for a game.

BUENA PARK —  The Southern Section Council trudged through a four-hour meeting Thursday, but it wasted little time in passing a resolution to crack down on the violence that has increasingly become a part of high school athletic events.

Beginning next fall, any player ejected for fighting or leaving the bench or team area during a fight will be suspended for a game. The same penalty applies to any coach who has been ejected by an official.

The council didn’t move nearly so quickly regarding proposed playoff groupings for 1994-98. Although the divisions assigned to leagues for most sports passed without question, football playoff groupings provided for plenty of commentary and were ultimately sent back for reconsideration.

The football groupings were based almost solely on enrollment and competitive equity, “but it became more evident geography was more important. . . “ Commissioner Dean Crowley said. “To be able to take a second look at it will be beneficial to everybody.”

Among those pleased the playoff groupings were sent back to the drawing board was Loara Principal Barry Escoe, the Empire League representative.

Under the new proposal, the Empire League would have been in Division IV from during the 1994-98 seasons. Although the league was Division II last year, it is losing Los Alamitos and Esperanza to the Division I Sunset League in Orange County realignment, and gaining Century (Division VIII) and Kennedy (Division VII). Los Alamitos or Esperanza has won or shared the section title since 1990.

Escoe presented a plan in which the Empire League would compete in a Division V grouping that includes the Century, Orange, Mission and newly formed Golden West leagues.

“We were heard and I think there will be changes in the division playoffs,” Escoe said. “I think we made our point that the committee needs to re-look at the criterion.”

The next football playoff grouping proposal will be presented at the council’s Oct. 20 meeting. Also at that time, the Southern Section will determine whether it will support the proposed Orange County Section, and the following weekend, Oct. 28-29, the State Federated Council will vote on the new section.

If the vote then is to establish an Orange County Section for the 1995-96 school year, the Southern Section will again redraw proposed playoff groupings.

In the day’s closest voting, the council voted 33-32 to continue to award co-championships to football teams that tie in title games. All Orange County leagues voted for the status quo.

“Philosophically, I would hope, we would want to recognize as many kids as possible,” said Mark Cunningham, University football coach and athletic director. “I think it goes along with the ideals and the mission of the CIF. We’re part of the educational system and winning is not what it’s all about.”

In other action, the council:

--Heard from treasurer Tom Triggs that revenue from the basketball playoffs exceeded projections by $32,000, and that with a $20,000 windfall from winter T-shirt sales, “it looks like there’s a possibility of cutting (a potential $100,000 deficit at the beginning of the year) down to zero. . . . Playing at The Pond was an excellent decision, financially.”

--Elected Triggs, the principal at Buena Park, the president-elect. He will become the Southern Section president in two years, at the end of Ken Gunn’s term. Gunn takes over for Gary Smiddercks, who officiated his final meeting Thursday.

--Passed a $1.245 million budget proposal for 1994-95.

--Approved a two-division badminton playoff system, and a six-division format for water polo with an emphasis on geography between leagues.

--Approved a $1 across-the-board increase in per-event fees for officials for the 1995-96 year.

--Recommended that language detailing a school’s responsibilities to game officials be softened and included in the Blue Book without a rule number.