Realignment Passes; Changes Will Begin in Fall

The two-year battle to realign Orange County’s 10 high school athletic leagues is finally over, at least for another three years.

On Thursday the Southern Section executive council voted overwhelmingly to approve the county releaguing committee’s proposal. The changes, which will begin in the fall, will continue through the 2001-2002 school year.

Four county leagues will be affected. Laguna Hills and Aliso Niguel will leave the Pacific Coast League to join the Sea View League. Corona del Mar will move from the Sea View to the Pacific Coast, where it will join Northwood, which will open in Irvine this fall.

El Toro will leave the Sea View to join the South Coast League, replacing Mater Dei, which will become a member of the Catholic Athletic Assn. (CAA).

Servite and Rosary will leave the Golden West and Santa Margarita will leave the Sea View to join Mater Dei in the CAA.

But the scheduling of CAA league football games this fall might have to wait.

The section council rejected Mission Hills Alemany’s appeal of the CAA’s plan to force its football team from the Division III Mission League into the Division I Del Rey League.

Attorney David Dicker who argued Thursday that the school’s players could not physically match up to other Division I teams, said after the meeting he would meet with the Alemany parents group that hired him and review their legal rights.

When asked if he would seek a court injunction against the CAA, Dicker said, “We will take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of the kids of Alemany. The vote today is evidence of the lack of concern for the safety of student athletes at Alemany.”

In other action, the council supported a state federated council measure that would require track and field and cross-country uniforms worn at state championship events to contain the school name and/or school colors. The measure goes before the state council for vote in February and, if passed, goes into effect beginning in the 2000-2001 school year.

The section council also supported a recommendation to establish three-person officiating crews for all state tournament boys’ and girls’ basketball games. This will also go before the state council for vote in February, but, if passed would begin this fall.