El Toro’s Wins Hang on Player’s Status

The Lake Forest El Toro girls’ soccer team, leader of the Southland’s best league, might be forced to forfeit most of its victories for possibly using an ineligible player.

Coach Kevin Otsuji said there is an investigation into whether an El Toro player violated Southern Section rules when she played in two exhibition games during the NCAA women’s soccer final four in December. Southern Section rules forbid athletes from competing for club teams during the school season.

The Chargers (8-5-2, 4-1-1 in South Coast League play) are No. 5 in The Times’ Southland rankings.

-- Lauren Peterson

Santa Ana Calvary Chapel’s wrestlers didn’t get much time to celebrate their 36-28 nonleague dual-meet victory Tuesday over Santa Ana. The Eagles, ranked No. 1 in the Southland by The Times, had to get right back to work to prepare for Central Section power Bakersfield at 6:30 tonight at Calvary Chapel.

Bakersfield is the defending state champion and Calvary Chapel won the state title in 2000 and ’01. At the Five Counties Invitational on Jan. 18, Bakersfield finished second with 160 points and Calvary Chapel was third, 3 1/2 points behind. Poway won the event with 176 points.

“It’s going to be a tough match,” Calvary Chapel Coach Josh Holiday said. “I had no idea how tough this week was going to be when the season started.”

Last year, Bakersfield routed Calvary Chapel, 62-12, in one of the worst losses in school history.

Santa Ana wrestling Coach Scott Glabb was kicking himself after his second-ranked Saints lost to Calvary Chapel, 36-28, Tuesday night.

With the 215-pound and heavyweight matches remaining, Calvary Chapel had a 33-22 lead but only one wrestler left, so the Eagles would have to forfeit one of the remaining matches.

Glabb sent Luis de La Rosa, the No. 2-ranked 215-pound wrestler in Orange County, to check in. Calvary Chapel Coach Josh Holiday responded by forfeiting the 215-pound match and bumping Mike Williams, his 215-pounder, to heavyweight. Williams defeated Santa Ana heavyweight Luis Gonzales, 6-3, to secure the victory.

Glabb said his error came in sending de La Rosa to check in. In dual meets, the check-in order alternates, and for the 215-pound match Tuesday, it was Calvary Chapel’s turn to check in first.

“I totally forgot,” Glabb said. “I should have sat back and waited. If I knew he was going to forfeit at 215, I would have sent out a freshman kid to check in and bumped de La Rosa to heavyweight, too.”

-- Peter Yoon

Chad Green, a 5-foot-11, 165-pound defensive back and wide receiver from Lake Balboa Birmingham, has committed to Arizona State.

Green, an All-San Fernando Valley selection by The Times, helped Birmingham upset Woodland Hills Taft, 35-7, to win the school’s first football title since 1963.

Other football commitments:

* Defensive back Dennis Keyes, the City player of the year from Birmingham, will keep his commitment to UCLA.

* Andrew Ramirez, a fullback and linebacker at Santa Monica St. Monica, to Portland State.

* Cliff Mason, a running back from Santa Ana Valley, to Idaho.

* Andrew Larson, a kicker/punter from Laguna Hills, to Wyoming.

Saugus wide receiver Kevin Estes, who was chosen All-Southern Section Division II in football, was misidentified as a junior in a listing in Thursday’s edition. Estes is a senior.

Aaron Marcarelli has resigned as baseball coach at Loyola for personal reasons.