Today’s Final Ends 2-A Era for Reseda

Joel Schaeffer will bid farewell to a memorable if short era in Reseda High football history in today’s City Section 2-A Division championship game at East Los Angeles College.

Reseda (10-0), which plays Westchester (9-2) at 12:30 p.m., is attempting to win its second City title in a row, and Schaeffer knows his Regents probably are seeing the last of competition at this level for a while. Reseda likely will move up in class when the City releagues its 49 teams for the 1988-89 school year. City officials conducted their first releaguing meeting Dec. 7 and expect to conclude the process by mid-March.

City Director Hal Harkness said geography would be a major consideration in the releaguing formula. Consequently, the Pac-8 League, which includes Reseda, four other Valley teams, Westchester, University and Venice, will cease to exist.

“We’ll probably go to 3-A or 4-A and go back to the traditional East Valley, Mid-Valley and West Valley leagues,” Schaeffer said. “We’ll be playing teams like Canoga Park, Cleveland, El Camino Real, Taft and Chatsworth. I’d feel comfortable in that kind of league.”

Schaeffer favors the changes releaguing can bring, saying the City’s most recent restructuring four years ago rescued the Reseda program.

“Reseda in the 1970s was a doormat in the West Valley League,” he said. “Releaguing revitalized the team.”

Schaeffer also will put an end today to what he called his favorite season in 21 years of coaching, 17 at Reseda. The Regents have won games on trick plays, a 29-point second-half rally and a fumble return for a touchdown on the last play of the game.

“If you were a Reseda fan, you’ve seen exciting football,” he said. “Sometimes coaches have great teams but they don’t enjoy the season because they have prima donnas on the team. But this has been a fun group.”

Reseda, the Pac-8 champion and the division’s top-seeded team, enters today’s game as the favorite. Earlier in the season, Reseda defeated Westchester, 10-0.