PREP REVIEW : Parents at Root of Litigation Evils, Coaches Say

Repercussions of the litigation mania have begun to be felt.

Huntington Beach, Savanna and La Puente all qualified for the playoffs but were forced to forfeit their victories because of ineligible players. The teams tried to get reinstated through the judicial system, but all there appeals were denied.

Coaches in Orange County say something needs to be done to prevent a recurrence of similar problems, but only a few recommend that the Southern Section rules be changed. Most said coaches, administrators and even parents need to be more aware of the rules.

“The Southern Section has enough responsibilities and enough problems,” said Tim Devaney, Sunny Hills football coach. “Some responsibility has to be taken by the school and the parents.”

Ocean View basketball Coach Jim Harris says the biggest problem is the parents, who are usually ignorant of eligibility requirements. All schools require parental permission before a student can participate in athletics, but few parents understand the guidelines, according to Harris.

In the Huntington Beach case, Oiler defensive tackle Dave Roman was living with his brother while his mother stayed behind to sell the family house in Maryland. Because the mother was the legal guardian, Roman was ruled ineligible.

“I just have to believe if that mom back east had known the kid wasn’t eligible, she would have made the brother the legal guardian and none of this would have happened,” Harris said. “The parents are the missing link in the triangle. The schools know the rules, the Southern Section knows the rules, but the parents don’t.”

Harris said the schools must do a better job of informing the parents.

“Right now they sign a permission slip that says, ‘I understand the rules,’ ” he said. “What we need to do is spell it out for them. Break it down to five or six major points that involve eligibility for them to read.”

If a violation does occur, Harris said, it should be the parent, not the student, who should be punished.

“In every situation, everyone gets hurt except the parent,” Harris said. “Don’t punish the kid, punish the parent. Make it a fine or maybe perjury. You’d probably have to check with a lawyer on that, though.”

Most coaches say there should be more consideration given to the school’s intentions when a rule is violated.

“It’s not like we went all the way to Maryland and recruited a defensive tackle,” said George Pascoe, Huntington Beach football coach. “It was never our intention to break the rules. People who knowingly break rules should be punished. But in this circumstance, I think things should have been looked at a little closer.”

But principals tend to stick to the letter of the law, especially when it comes to transfer students. And judging intent can be difficult.

“If a parent, coach or kid really wants to bend the rules or cheat, they’ll find a way to do it,” said Dave White, Edison football coach.

In the past, coaches and parents rarely challenged Southern Section decisions.

Mater Dei was placed on probation without sanctions in 1988 after Danny O’Neil transfered from Corona del Mar. Southern Section officials decided that Mater Dei had violated rules regarding illegal inducements.

Father John Weling, Mater Dei principal, said the school did not pursue the matter in court because it was a no-win situation.

“We felt we had a good case to make, but as a member of an organization, it’s in the interest of everyone involved to accept what’s handed down and then work within the system to change those things that you believe are unfair.

“It’s always awful when things like that happen. “

Others haven’t always shared that viewpoint. Two years ago, the Muir basketball team was removed from the playoffs because of an ineligible player. Muir went to court and got a restraining order, as Huntington Beach did last week.

Muir went to the 4-A playoffs and reached the second round before losing to Santa Barbara.

However, Southern Section officials appealed the decision and won, and Muir had to forfeit 23 victories.

So even if Huntington Beach had won its last-minute appeal Friday, the Southern Section would likely have pursued the matter even if the Oilers had been allowed to compete in the Division I playoffs.

“The Southern Section was basically fighting for its life,” White said. “If they would have lost, all hell would have broken loose. There would have been nobody to govern high school athletics and everyone would have done as they pleased.”

Litigation wasn’t always a serious matter last week:

--Without star running back Coy Collins, who had a leg injury, Loara lost to Santa Ana, 3-0 in the first round of the Division III playoffs.

Loara Coach Herb Hills said: “If the playoffs would have been postponed a week, Coy could have played. Maybe we should have filed something in court.”

--Fountain Valley Coach Mike Milner had trouble locating one of his assistant coaches last Sunday after the Barons had replaced Huntington Beach in the playoffs. Greg Collins left the previous Friday for a rodeo in Brawley.

Milner first called Collins’ in-laws and then the Brawley police department. He then called a western wear clothing store in Brawley and offered a $25 reward.

--Wednesday night, Pascoe, who is working on his master’s degree, said he had to take a test. The subject? How the body deals with stress.

“Fortunately it was an oral exam. Otherwise, I would have written a book,” he said.

--Fontana officials, unsure of whether the Steelers would play Huntington Beach or Fountain Valley in the first round, improvised on their game program. It read, “Fontana vs. Fountain Valley or Huntington Beach.” The program included rosters and facts for both teams.

Ron Papazian of Whittier Christian scored five touchdowns in the Heralds’ 72-12 victory over Leffingwell Christian Friday to break the Orange County single-season record. Papazian has 34 touchdowns, two more than Jim Farrell of Esperanza scored in 1984.