San Pedro forfeiting game against Narbonne in protest of alleged rule violations

San Pedro informed the City Section that it will not play a scheduled Marine League game Friday against Narbonne, joining Banning in giving the Gauchos a second consecutive forfeit victory.

Four Marine League coaches — Raymond Grajeda of Banning, Corey Walsh of San Pedro, Monty Gilbreath of Gardena and Mike Christensen of Carson — previously signed a letter addressed to City Section commissioner Vicky Lagos saying they would not play Narbonne until allegations of rule violations by the Harbor City school have been addressed.

Lagos said Wednesday she was informed by a San Pedro administrator that the Pirates would not be hosting Narbonne on Friday.

Narbonne will improve to 6-2 and is ranked No. 1 in the City Section by CalPreps.com rankings.

In a letter sent out Wednesday, Narbonne coach Malcolm Manuel denied his program has violated any rules.

“I want to clarify that we are not involved in any activities that would jeopardize our eligibility, integrity, opportunities for our players, or our values we uphold,” he wrote.

If schools continue to forfeit against Narbonne during the City Section Open Division playoffs, then they would face sanctions. Under City Section rules, once the brackets are released and a team forfeits, it would be ineligible for the playoffs next season.