League Hopes to Bar Move to Division I

The Golden League will file an appeal today to protest a move from Division II to Division I in football for the fall season as recommended by the Southern Section.

The league voted 4 to 2 to appeal the section’s recommendations for playoff groupings. Canyon, Palmdale, Saugus and Ridgecrest Burroughs voted in favor; Antelope Valley and Quartz Hill dissented.

The Southern Section also recommended the placement of the newly formed Mission League in Division III. The league will consist of Alemany, Chaminade, Crespi, Notre Dame, Bishop Montgomery, St. Bernard and St. Paul. The newly aligned San Fernando League--which will consist of Bell-Jeff, Harvard, St. Francis, St. Genevieve and El Segundo--would be placed in Division VII. And the Alpha League would be moved from Division IX to a four-league Division X.

The Southern Section informed schools of the proposal two weeks ago and set today as a deadline for notification of appeals.

The Southern Section recommended the Golden League move based on the league’s playoff record the past two seasons and on enrollment, administrator Bill Clark said. League schools average 2,360 students, the fourth-highest league total in the section, Clark said. In addition, the league has placed four teams in the Division II semifinals in the past two seasons.

But the Golden League argues that Orange County’s South Coast League--consisting of Capistrano Valley, Dana Hills, El Toro, Irvine, Mission Viejo and San Clemente--is a better candidate for Division I. In the past two seasons, it has placed four teams in the Division III playoffs and league schools average 2,165 enrollment.

Canyon Athletic Director Dave Harris said that a comparison between the leagues indicates that the South Coast League has been stronger the past two seasons.

In 1988 and ‘89, Golden League teams were 5-7 against Division I teams in nonleague games, 3-3-1 against Division II and 3-9-1 against Division III for an 11-19-2 record. The South Coast League was 9-2 against Division I, 2-0 against Division II and 8-2 against Division III for a 21-4 mark.

“We just want to point out that there are other criteria besides enrollment and playoff records to consider,” Harris said.

Canyon Coach Harry Welch would accept the move to Division I but said that he supported the appeal.

“I think it’s nearly impossible for Canyon to win a Division I title, but I’m not opposed to going Division I if that’s where the league belongs,” he said. “But it’s worth taking a look at.”