San Diego High School Review / Chris De Luca : Grossmont Coach Is Asked to Resign

After leading the Grossmont High School football team to its best season in 15 years, Coach Lynn Cole has been asked to resign.

The request, made by first-year Principal Robert Brady, surprised Cole, who has coached at Grossmont for nine years. Last spring, Cole said that this past season would be his last. He said he wanted to work with the football program at Christian High, where is son, Brent, is a freshman.

Midway through the season, however, Cole changed his mind, partly because of the success of Grossmont, which finished 3-0 in the Grossmont 2-A League and 7-4-1 overall. Last November, Cole informed Brady that he would like to stay through next season.

“Last spring I was told by Mr. Cole that this was going to be his last season,” Brady said. “Since then, that is the the way I have played it. In November, I talked with (Cole) about his earlier decision and at that time he said he had second thoughts. I didn’t have any reaction; I was very surprised.”

Three days after Grossmont was defeated by Lincoln, 19-6, in the 2-A semifinal, Brady asked Cole to resign.

“I’m asking (Cole) to stick with his original commitment,” Brady said. “I wanted to name my own coach and build continuity in the staff.”

Said Cole: “I felt that I brought those kids along (this season) and I would like to go another year with them. I became attached to some of the kids on the team and I would like to see them through their last year.”

But Cole, who has also resigned as track and field coach, said he will comply with Brady’s request.

“When you appeal those types of things . . . you lose in the long run,” Cole said. “I don’t want to work for somebody who has no confidence in me.”

Cole, who has a 21-26-3 overall record, will continue as a physical education instructor at Grossmont.

The Federated Council of the CIF has adopted a five-division classification system for basketball and volleyball to give schools with smaller enrollments a better chance of winning a state title. The five-division format will start with the 1987-88 basketball season and the 1988-89 volleyball season, said San Diego Section Commissioner Kendall Webb.

Each section will determine its own playoff formats. Webb said the San Diego Section could remain with its present playoff format of three divisions or switch to five divisions for the playoffs.

If the section opted to stay with its current format, the winner of the 1-A division may advance to the Division IV state playoffs, with the 1-A runner-up advancing to Division V play.

The divisions will be split up by enrollment: Division I, 2,000 or more students; Division II, 1,500 to 1,999; Division III, 1,000 to 1,499; Division IV, 400 to 999; and Division V, 399 and under.

The Section Basketball Advisory Committee will examine the playoff at the conclusion of the current season, Webb said. The volleyball format will follow basketball’s, he said.

“The present format has been extremely successful,” Webb said. “I’m supportive of the five-division structure; I’m just not sure which is the best way to go to determine our five entries.”

Webb will make a recommendation to the Section Advisory Committee, which is expected to formulate a playoff format by late spring.

Water polo teams in the state are not required to provide a visible 35-second shot clock for matches, although it’s a national requirement. The Section Water Polo Advisory Committee has proposed that the section “highly recommend” the clocks for the 1987 season and require them by 1988.

“It’s very important to have that clock, especially when you train your kids to use that clock,” Vista Coach Jim Malone said. Vista has a shot clock, but several schools in the county do not, Malone said.

The 16-inch clocks cost about $500 each, Malone said. A clock is needed for each end of the pool.

“We use one during practice,” Malone said. “Most of the serious teams have one.”

Prep Notes The Vista High School boys’ athletic teams and the San Pasqual girls’ teams are leading the county competition for the Clarkson and Anders trophies, awarded annually by the Hall of Champions for all-round sports excellence. The competition is based on a point system determined by team standings in league competition and San Diego Section playoffs. Vista boys, who won the competition last year, won the Palomar League and section cross-country titles, tied for first in North County Conference water polo, won the league football title and were the 3-A Section runner-up. San Pasqual girls have won Avocado League and section cross-country titles and tied for first in league volleyball. . . . Granite Hills’ Tom Vardell broke several school records while playing football for the Eagles this season, including career rushing (3,059 yards) and single-season rushing (1,812 yards). With only one week of rest, Vardell has quickly made the transition from the football field to the wrestling mat, registering a 16-0 record. Wrestling in the 191-pound class at the Monte Vista meet last weekend, Vardell won all four matches and was named the meet’s outstanding wrestler.