Dominguez athletic program is sanctioned

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In a rare sanction, Compton Dominguez High’s decorated athletic program has been stripped of any home boys’ or girls’ playoff games for all sports in the 2008-09 school year, a Southern Section official confirmed Thursday.

Dominguez, a Southern California power in boys’ basketball that has also claimed two Southern Section football titles in the last three seasons, was delinquent in delivering the Southern Section its boys’ basketball playoff ticket revenue from two home playoff games this year, spokesman Thom Simmons said.

The Dons, coached by the school’s athletic director, Russell Otis, ultimately won their 11th Southern Section title under Otis’ leadership, and finished runner-up in the state Division I tournament.

“We sent them several notices that the money was due, and this is not Dominguez’s first time being late to pay,” Simmons said. “Dominguez was given every opportunity to comply with the rules.”

In a May 21 meeting, the Southern Section’s executive committee ruled Dominguez had violated a section by-law that reads: “ ... schools that continue to be delinquent with financial reports will not be allowed to host a home game during the playoffs in all sports for a period of one year.”

Messages left at Dominguez for Otis and Principal Charles Watkins were not immediately returned Thursday.

Dominguez football coach Willie Donerson said he had not been informed of the Southern Section’s ruling until Thursday.

“I know they’ve been late a few times before,’ Donerson said. “You can’t keep breaking rules. You break rules, you should be punished. It will be a problem not playing at home, we’ll just have to deal with it.”

The school is responsible for turning in all money it takes at the gate for playoff games to Southern Section officials, who then provide the participating schools a return check for percentages of the total money.

A Dominguez official ultimately provided the Southern Section the playoff game funds on May 23, two days after the executive committee decided to sanction Dominguez. Simmons declined to say how much money Dominguez was holding.

“It doesn’t matter if it were $2,” said Simmons, who said the playoff game sanction hadn’t been invoked in at least a decade. “This is not an appeal-able situation.”

-- Lance Pugmire