Pius X Has to Forfeit All Victories and Tie for Using Ineligible Players

The Downey Pius X High football team has to forfeit seven victories and a tie for using several ineligible players this season, according to the Southern Section Friday.

No names were released, but Southern Section officials said “multiple players who were scholastically ineligible” had been participating.

Pius X, which competes in the Division VII Camino Real League, went from 7-1-1 overall and 3-0 in league to 0-9 and 0-3. The Warriors, who were tied for first place in the league with Gardena Serra before the forfeits, most likely will not make the playoffs. League officials would have to nominate them for an at-large berth to be considered.

“I’m not in the mood to discuss this,” said Bob Tompson, Pius X’s coach. “Today is a real bad day to talk about it. I don’t want to deal with this, and my players don’t want to deal with this now.”

Serra beat Pius X, 55-6, Friday night at Downey.

Ken Johnson, the principal at Pius X, also declined to comment.

Tompson, who coached at Los Angeles Murphy High last year, was being touted as the division’s coach of the year. From 1988-90, Pius X was 1-28, including a 28-game losing streak.

This season, the Warriors lost to Torrance Bishop Montgomery, 19-18, in the opener, but then went undefeated in their next eight games. They tied Downey, 14-14, on Oct. 18.

They had nonleague victories over Montebello Cantwell-Sacred Heart, Laguna Beach, Bellflower and El Monte, and league victories over Santa Monica St. Monica, Long Beach St. Anthony and Verbum Dei. Pius X coaches would not allow players to speak with a reporter before Friday night’s game.