Camarillo High OKs Move to the Frontier League

Two years after dominating the Marmonte League in football, basketball and baseball, Camarillo High has agreed to drop in classification and move to the Frontier League.

That move was recommended Wednesday by a Southern Section releaguing committee of high school principals, which also recommended moving Santa Ynez from the Tri-Valley to the Los Padres League. The releaguing would begin with the 1988-89 academic year. If the Southern Section approves the moves at a meeting in May, the four leagues each will comprise six teams.

“That was the main reason for the move,” Camarillo Principal Donald Bathgate said. “With an odd number of teams in a league it makes it impossible to do a good job of scheduling.”

Camarillo, which won league titles in football, basketball and baseball during the 1984-85 school year, was a Southern Section champion in football in 1984 and a Southern Section finalist in baseball in 1985.

Bathgate said Camarillo volunteered to move because it is the Marmonte school with the lowest enrollment at 1,770. Moving to the Frontier would drop Camarillo from the 4-A Division to 2-A in basketball and baseball, and from the Coastal Conference to the Desert-Mountain Conference in football.

Camarillo Athletic Director Carl Thompson said he favored the move with one reservation. “We have mixed emotions about dropping from the 4-A, but the competition in the Frontier League is strong,” he said.

Royal High previously volunteered to move but withdrew from consideration at a league meeting last week.

The new leagues would line up as follows:

Marmonte--Channel Islands, Newbury Park, Royal, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and Westlake.

Frontier--Agoura, Calabasas, Camarillo, Nordhoff, Santa Clara and Santa Paula.

Tri-Valley--Bishop Diego, Carpinteria, Fillmore, Moorpark, Oak Park and St. Bonaventure.

Los Padres--Atascadero, Cabrillo, Morro Bay, Paso Robles, St. Joseph and Santa Ynez.