Prep releaguing: Wish lists gain support

Barry Faulkner

FOUNTAIN VALLEY - Orange County releaguing for the four-year

athletic cycle beginning the fall of 2002, moved one step closer to

completion Wednesday and four Newport-Mesa District high schools are all

pleased with the direction things are headed.

Representatives from 62 of the 63 schools in the Orange County Area

discussed 15 initial proposals, then voted to pare them down to the top

10. The top three all had the fingerprints of Newport-Mesa principals and

each would move Costa Mesa and Estancia from the Pacific Coast League to

the Golden West, while leaving Corona del Mar in the PCL and Newport

Harbor in the Sea View.

The top vote-getter, a plan produced by the Sea View League, received

38 votes, just four shy of the maximum two-thirds majority needed for a

proposal to be forwarded to the CIF Southern Section for final approval.

Proposals generated by Estancia (30 votes) and Costa Mesa (24) also

finished in the top three at the near-three-hour meeting at Fountain

Valley High.

These top 10 proposals, plus counterproposals submitted to league

representatives before Tuesday, will be discussed and voted upon at a

Feb. 15 meeting. Should one proposal gain the necessary two-thirds

majority, it would be submitted for section approval. If no proposal

gains the necessary consensus Feb. 15, another meeting would be held Feb.

27 to produce a final proposal.

The Sea View League proposal, presented by Irvine Principal Gail

Richards, would place Costa Mesa and Estancia in the Golden West League,

with incumbents Ocean View, Saddleback, Santa Ana and Westminster, as

well as Orange, which would shift from the Century League.

The PCL would consist of CdM, Laguna Beach, Northwood and University,

as well as Calvary Chapel and new schools Tesoro, based in unincorporated

area near Rancho Santa Margarita, and Tustin-based Beckman.

The Sea View League would add Foothill, from the Century, to current

members Newport Harbor, Aliso Niguel, Irvine, Laguna Hills and

Woodbridge.

The only difference between the Sea View and Estancia proposals is the

placement of Orange High. The Sea View plan would shift Orange from the

Century to the Golden West, while the Estancia version would place Orange

in the Orange League.

Only Century High, which would prefer a move to the Orange League,

rather than the Century League, voiced opposition to the Sea View and

Estancia presentations Wednesday.

Santa Ana High Principal Dan Salcedo, however, said he would prefer

the Golden West League avoid the scheduling difficulties created by a

seven-team league (as per the Sea View plan).

Costa Mesa’s proposal would add Orange to the existing seven-team

Garden Grove League, which has consistently asked to remain intact, since

all schools are in the Garden Grove Unified District.

Katella Principal Marsha Wagner also spoke against the Costa Mesa

proposal, because it would place Orange Lutheran, which she said recruits

students from her school’s attendance area, with Katella in the Empire

League.

A plan presented by Buena Park was the only proposal among the top 10,

that would make Newport-Mesa schools unhappy. The proposal, which drew 11

votes to place fifth, would keep Costa Mesa and Estancia in the PCL,

shift CdM from the PCL to the Sea View, and move Newport Harbor from the

Sea View to the Sunset.

Estancia Principal Tom Antal said he was gratified that his proposal

received so much support.

“It feels nice,” said Antal, participating in his first releaguing

process. “(The proposal) was the result of a lot of phone calls and

conversations with folks throughout the county.”

Though the top three proposals would all create a seven-team PCL,

Beckman, tentatively scheduled to open the fall of 2003, would not field

varsity teams until at least the final two years of the cycle.

Tesoro, scheduled to open next fall with freshmen and sophomores,

could offer varsity competition beginning the fall of 2002, but would not

have seniors competing until the second year of the cycle.

Additionally, Richards suggested the scheduling difficulties created

by a seven-team PCL, could be lessened with cooperative cross-scheduling

by another seven-team league, such as the Garden Grove.

Only three of the 15 initial proposals reflected Esperanza’s request

to leave the Sunset League, Only two of those, the aforementioned Buena

Park configuration, as well as an Edison proposal, which tied for eighth

with eight votes, received support.

Should Esperanza’s desire to leave the Sunset League, based on

concerns about excessive travel time to schools within that circuit, gain

favor, Newport Harbor could move to the Sunset to replace it. This now

appears unlikely.