Mounties’ Giannini Disputes Allegations : Montclair Prep: Football coach says Van Nuys school will be cleared of grade tampering, other charges.

Montclair Prep Coach George Giannini on Thursday denied allegations that the grades of some of his football players were tampered with but admitted that former players Derek and Leland Sparks never paid tuition during their three-semester stay at the private school in Van Nuys.

Giannini, acting as school spokesman in the absence of Principal V. E. Simpson, said that the Sparks cousins received financial aid from the school but were responsible for a portion of the $6,000-a-year tuition. Giannini said he did not know how much financial aid they received. Simpson was out of town and unavailable for comment.

“They have been billed but as of this point they have not paid,” he said. “I’m sure other students are delinquent (with tuition payments), but how far you let them go before taking action is an administration decision.”

Giannini categorically denied that the school changed grades for football players or other students and predicted that a Southern Section investigation will exonerate his program of wrongdoing. The Southern Section asked Montclair Prep officials to attend an eligibility hearing Wednesday for the Sparks cousins, who enrolled at Montclair Prep in the spring semester of 1989, left the school last week and enrolled in Santa Ana Mater Dei on Monday.

Derek Sparks, a 6-foot-1, 208-pound All-American running back, was the state sophomore player of the year at Banning in 1988 and The Times’ Valley back of the year last fall. Leland Sparks (5-10, 170) played quarterback at Montclair Prep last year as a junior. Both players originally transferred from Wharton (Tex.) High.

Southern Section Commissioner Stan Thomas announced Wednesday that Montclair Prep would be investigated after Jerome and Eric Sparks, uncles of the players, testified that Montclair Prep adjusted grades for players and collected no tuition from them in violation of Southern Section rules.

Eric Sparks, who worked as an assistant coach at Montclair Prep last fall, testified that he regularly saw students’ grade-point averages jump two points from one semester to the next. According to Mater Dei Principal Lyle Porter, Leland Sparks’ transcript showed he lacked enough credits to be eligible this fall although he played three sports at Montclair Prep last school year.

The allegations could result in the maximum penalty for Montclair Prep--expulsion from the Southern Section. Thomas said that in his five years as commissioner no school has been expelled or suspended. He announced Thursday that the Southern Section also would investigate Mater Dei, questioning the school’s admission policies for allowing the Sparks cousins to enroll.

Giannini claimed Montclair Prep already has addressed the Sparkses’ allegations in an independent report filed last spring with the Southern Section. Giannini said that the school anticipated the charges and hired attorney Andy Stein, whose son Tony plays football at Montclair Prep, to study the football program.

“We already turned ourself in,” Giannini said. “The report included all the allegations and we gave it to the (Southern Section). They had the report in front of them at the hearing.”

Thomas acknowledged receipt of the report but differed with Giannini on its significance.

“It’s a good report and it was well done,” he said. “But it was self-analysis and we accepted it at face value. What we have now is much different, firsthand allegations. That makes the report moot.”

Thomas also dismissed Giannini’s claim that Jerome and Eric Sparks are motivated by revenge. Eric was dismissed as an assistant coach after the season for what Giannini called “inappropriate sideline behavior and encouraging behavior among players not in keeping with Montclair Prep standards.”

In addition, Jerome has said that he blamed Montclair Prep when the Southern Section initially denied Leland’s request for a fifth year of eligibility. The Southern Section reversed that decision Wednesday.

“Maybe they’re a little overzealous directing traffic for those kids, but I think Jerome and Eric are honest and sincere people,” Thomas said. “The only way you ever get to prove these kinds of allegations is from people who are unhappy with the program. You never get somebody to speak out against a shoddy program unless they’re unhappy.”

Thomas said he and fellow administrator Bill Clark will begin the Montclair Prep investigation next week, indicating that the inquiry will concern the entire football program. They will take special note of the school’s requests for extended eligibility for players.

The football team requested a fifth year of eligibility this year for five players, including Leland Sparks. Thomas approved requests last spring for running back Greg Cole and linebacker John Goldbaum. Requests for Rusty Savage and Cardell Henderson were denied at Wednesday’s hearing.

By comparison, L. A. Baptist, a member of the Alpha League like Montclair Prep, has never petitioned for a fifth year for any player in Athletic Director Maury Neville’s 15 years at the school.

“Five in one year, that’s craziness,” Thomas said. “I approved Goldbaum and Cole but I may have been taken on that. If I have, I may rescind them.”

While Montclair Prep awaits the start of its third investigation in five years, the school’s reputation is taking a beating, although some area athletic directors already had questioned the school’s integrity. Mike Plaisance, the athletic director and football coach at Alpha League member Village Christian, claims that few are surprised by the allegations.

“There’s always been a certain aura of wrongdoing at Montclair Prep,” he said. “It’s like when you were growing up and there was one family on the block that something was going on and you couldn’t put your finger on it. Montclair Prep has had that reputation for years.”

Said L. A. Baptist’s Neville: “It’s clear that the word on the street is that there’s hanky-panky at Montclair Prep. They seem to get more transfers than other schools. I don’t usually get a transfer from Texas.”

Giannini remains undaunted and is eager to prove his school’s innocence.

“It’s unfortunate that this had to happen, but we’ve just got to go forward,” he said. “We intend to cooperate with the (Southern Section). I think they will listen to both sides of the story and make a fair decision on the merits of the case. I feel comfortable with that.”