Raiders Score Early Victory Just by Getting on the Field

Although their football season is still five days away, the Woodland Hills Raiders won their biggest victory ever Monday night in a tense scrimmage at Pierce College.

The Raiders beat Pierce.

The Raiders--not the peripatetic professionals but pint-sized players who range in age from 7 to 14--defeated college officials, who had locked their youth football club off a campus athletic field in a dispute over payment of a fee.

Pierce officials charged that the players and cheerleaders disrupted others using the school’s athletic practice field and failed to pay for field maintenance.

But coaches and parents disputed those allegations, accusing college administrators of unfairly increasing the assessment after team managers complained about losing practice space to a golf class.

Allowed Entry

After a 45-minute debate outside a locked gate to the practice field, college officials relented and allowed the cheering football players to take the field.

“You can get in tonight,” said William Norland, college vice president. “You have five days left on your permit. I’ll let you finish your contract.”

The Raiders--one of 12 clubs in the Valley Conference of youth football teams--hold preseason practices at Pierce but will play at Taft High School after their season begins Saturday.

Campus administrators had ordered college police to padlock the gate at Victory Boulevard and Winnetka Avenue after Raiders coaches refused Friday to pay the second half of a $1,025 fee the college had levied for use of the practice field.

Raiders coaches said they agreed to pay $625 for use of the practice field during a six-week period beginning Aug. 1. They said Raiders players have used the field since 1972 and were never assessed a fee until three years ago, when the team began paying $200 a season.

This year’s problems began Aug. 4 with a confrontation on the practice field between the 75-girl Raider cheerleader squad and a summer-session golf class.

According to Raiders Club President Ed Lewis, college administrators revoked the permit to use the practice field--and then charged an extra $200 to discuss the matter with team coaches.

“We feel it’s unfair to charge us when we’re the only organization that pays a fee to use the field,” said Lewis of Canoga Park.

According to Pierce Vice President Norland, the Raiders were charged the same fee as all groups that use the practice field. He said the college even agreed to reduce the Raiders’ fee if players would help pick up trash on the campus after their practice sessions.

“But when it came time for the cleanup, they refused to do it,” he said. Also, he said, “I was told the football team interfered with the golf classes.”

As Norland and Lewis debated next to the locked gate, players and cheerleaders who had been picketing nearby quickly surrounded them. So did about 100 parents.

“I want my kid playing here rather than in the gutter on the street,” said Martin Lazarovits of Woodland Hills.

Others demanded that Pierce open its books to show whether soccer teams and others who use the practice field pay similar fees.

Norland pledged that those records would be made available if coaches file the proper request forms. He hinted that the unpaid portion of this year’s fee may be waived. “That $200 consultation fee was probably inappropriate, I’ll agree with that,” Norland said.

When the gate was reopened, quarterback Bebo Granillo, 14, of Canoga Park led his 165 teammates in a rush onto the field. The cheerleaders quickly followed.

“Raiders! Raiders! We are alive!” the girls cheered as the boys started a vigorous round of jumping jacks--flexing their muscle for the second time Monday night.

for pix slugged FOOTBALL