Riggins Denied Transfer to Agoura High

Calabasas High running back Damon Riggins’ request for a transfer to Agoura was denied Tuesday by administrators from both schools who said that Riggins did not satisfy Las Virgenes Unified School District criteria for an intra-district transfer.

Riggins, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound senior, gained 660 yards in nine games for Calabasas (1-9) last season. The Coyote program has been struggling and has only 18 players in uniform this fall.

According to Agoura Athletic Director John Crowe, Riggins changed residences but did not move out of Calabasas’ attendance area, which is requisite for the transfer permit he was seeking.

Agoura Vice Principal Fred Williams and his Calabasas counterpart, Bob Musella, vetoed Riggins’ transfer. Musella said Riggins, who earlier had considered a transfer to Crespi and had been practicing with Agoura, could appeal the decision.

Riggins was unavailable for comment.

“It’s unfortunate, because we would have liked to have been able to use him,” Agoura Coach Frank Greminger said. “But it doesn’t affect us because we weren’t sure if he was going to be eligible and hadn’t worked him into the offense yet.”

Riggins’ transfer is complicated because he lives in what Crowe called “the district’s gray area near Liberty Canyon and Lost Hills.”

“Kids in that area who are coming out of eighth grade can choose which high school to attend and by CIF rules are automatically eligible for athletics,” Crowe said. “But when they decide to transfer, they have to move out of that gray area, and (Riggins) didn’t.”

A Southern Section official said Tuesday that if an appeal were denied, Riggins, should he return to Calabasas, immediately would be eligible to play for the Coyotes.