Manuel Douglas is named football coach at Playa del Rey St. Bernard

Manuel Douglas is going from the City Section to the Southern Section. He has been named football coach at Playa del Rey St. Bernard.

Douglas guided Harbor City Narbonne to eight City Section championships until his resignation earlier this week after a nine-month dispute with the Los Angeles Unified School District that resulted in him being assigned to his home all last season while being prevented from coaching the Gauchos.

It had been rumored for weeks that he’d take over at St. Bernard, and the clear signs were that several top players had transferred to the South Bay campus in anticipation of the announcement that was finally made on Friday.

St. Bernard went 4-6 this past season while competing in Division 13. If Southern Section schools approve a new playoff format next month - as expected - the Vikings would be placed in a division based on their 2020 performance. And considering the quality of the transfers arriving, they definitely won’t be Division 13.