Ocean League playoff entries stay the same
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Inglewood on Monday rescinded its appeal in regard to Ocean League playoff entries made in the wake of an altercation Friday night between the Sentinels and cross-town rival Morningside in a game at Coleman Stadium.
According to Jerry Chabola, the president of the South Bay Athletic Assn. that includes the Ocean, Bay and Pioneer leagues, the move was made by Inglewood Atheltic Director Idor Laurent at the behest of the school principal, Debbie Tate.
‘I think all things considered, I guess I’m relieved because of the time pressure, but I’m not altogether happy, just because this incident happened,’ Chabola said.
Pressed to provide the Ocean League postseason entries to the Southern Section office by 9 a.m. Saturday, Chabola did so, including unbeaten Culver City along with Santa Monica and Beverly Hills, which each had 3-2 league records, after he decided to give both Inglewood and Morningside a loss as a result of the mid-game suspension. Play between the Sentinels and Monarchs was stopped with about eight minute left in the third quarter.
Inglewood had appealed the playoff-entry decision because it was leading Morningside, 16-6, when the game was stopped. A Sentinels victory over Inglewood would have tied them at 3-2 with Santa Monica and Beverly Hills. A three-way tie would have forced a series of coin tosses to determine the second- and third-place representatives to the playoffs.
The league had until Friday, the first round of the Western Division playoffs, to make any changes to its postseason entries, section officials said.
Chabola, who received the referees’ written report on the game Monday morning, said he was preparing to call a same-day meeting of league officials to discuss the matter when he was told by Laurent that the appeal was being pulled.
‘I think we did the right thing, I did the right thing,’ said Chabola, who decided to give both Inglewood and Morningside a loss for Friday’s suspended game based on a league bylaw that says if two teams forfeit, the game will not be replayed and each will receive a loss. ‘I have a lot of emotions, but chief among them is that we as an association and a league are going to have to discuss some things specific to certain situations.
‘Part of it has to be, ‘How do we deal with a game that’s stopped before it’s finished?’ We need to look at who determines who wins and loses, and all that goes into that decision.’
Laurent declined to discuss Inglewood’s decision to rescind its appeal, saying, ‘We have no comment. We really just don’t want to talk about it.’
Inglewood Coach Charles Mincy did.
‘You put in hundreds, maybe thousands, of hours in a season, and it’s like it means nothing,’ he said. ‘It’s just disappointing. It’s unfortunate because I don’t feel like my kids are being supported.’
- Lauren Peterson