Canoga Park Sends Erhardt to Cleveland

One of Canoga Park High’s best athletes moved over to West Valley League rival Cleveland early this week when quarterback David Erhardt was transferred because of disciplinary reasons.

Erhardt, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound junior, changed schools Monday under the Los Angeles Unified School District’s opportunity-transfer system that is used in disciplinary cases or for the student’s protection. Truancy and repeated discipline problems prompted the move, Canoga Park Athletic Director Marty Denyer said.

“He was moved the same way we move other kids who do not behave,” Denyer said. “After the last straw, they get booted out. This doesn’t have anything to do with sports.”

A student who changes schools under an opportunity transfer retains athletic eligibility, but Erhardt lost his at the end of football season because of academic reasons and has yet to regain it.

Erhardt twice was an all-league quarterback for the Hunters, who in the past two years have lost 16 of 18 games. Last year, Erhardt completed 82 of 170 passes (48.2%) for 889 yards with seven touchdowns and nine interceptions.

He qualified for the state final in the long jump last spring and has a personal best of 22 feet 0 1/4 inch. In addition, he would have played on the basketball team had he been academically eligible. He can regain his eligibility next month at the 10-week mark of the semester.

Cleveland Coach Steve Landress praised Erhardt’s football abilities but said that the resurrection of Erhardt’s academic career was a priority.

“We’re going to have an attendance check because we heard he was missing a lot of classes,” Landress said.

“We hope that things work out for him and they work out for us too. He played well against us and can throw the ball real well.”