Santa Monica : League to Meet on Basketball Forfeits by Santa Monica High

Representatives of the Bay League will meet this morning to discuss Santa Monica High School’s forfeiture of 47 victories in the school’s last two varsity basketball seasons.

Principals and athletic directors from the seven league schools are expected to approve the forfeits, leaving Santa Monica with a 0-54 record for the two years. The Vikings had been 47-7.

Santa Monica Principal Terry Pearson last month forfeited the games because he said one player on the 1983-84 team and one player on the 1984-85 team lived outside the school district, in violation of the state education code.

Bay League President Joseph Rotcher, principal of South Torrance High School, said he expects league officials to approve the forfeitures. Santa Monica will then be stripped of the Bay League championships that it won both years and the titles will be awarded to the runners-up.

Rotcher said West Torrance will be declared last season’s league champion. Palos Verdes will be declared the champion for 1983-84. Santa Monica will probably be asked to return its league championship trophies so they can be presented at a later meeting to the new champions, Rotcher said.