Sailors forfeit title

The Newport Harbor High boys’ water polo team forfeited its title as champion of the S&R; Sport Cup because it competed with two ineligible players in the semifinals, Sailors Athletic Director Mike Zimmerman said.

Zimmerman called the rule violation an honest mistake and added that Coach Jason Lynch brought it to the attention of the CIF Southern Section office.

Senior Jack Yeager and freshman Jon Walters were ejected for misconduct in the Sailors’ 13-3 quarterfinal win over Long Beach Wilson Friday. Their ejections were supposed to carry over into the semifinals, but they played to start the game in the semifinal against Coronado. Coaches agreed to restart the game without Yeager and Walters, but Lynch later believed Newport violated a rule, Zimmerman said.

Newport Harbor forfeited wins over Coronado and Miramonte of Orinda. Also, Walters and Yeager did not play in the Sailors’ 13-7 win over Los Alamitos Wednesday to comply with CIF, Zimmerman said.

“We got it all figured out with CIF,” Zimmerman said. “They appreciated the prompt manner ... Obviously, the best team wasn’t crowned champion. It was an oversight by the coach, but the officials did not do their diligence to notify the team. It’s an unfortunate situation, but we have moved on.”