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Pierce Could Be Penalized for Its Role in Postgame Brawl : Football: WSC commissioner has received additional information regarding fracas.

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

The Pierce College football team might yet receive disciplinary sanctions from the Western State Conference for its role in a brawl after its game against Harbor on Sept. 25.

Aviva Kamin, the conference commissioner, said Wednesday night she has received additional information about the fight and would reach a decision shortly.

“I’m going to talk to Pierce College officials again (this week) because I’ve gotten more information from different sources,” Kamin said. “I’ll make some kind of a decision maybe by the end of the week.”

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Although Kamin would not comment specifically, the new information, if damaging, would probably prompt disciplinary action against Pierce.

She made her statements after attending a regularly scheduled WSC meeting Wednesday at Moorpark College, in which a hearing board acted on an appeal from Harbor and voted to soften the penalties imposed by Kamin last week against the school’s football program.

Pierce Athletic Director Marian McWilliams, who was at the WSC meeting, said she was not aware that Kamin was still looking into allegations against Pierce.

“I have no idea,” McWilliams said, when asked about what information Kamin is referring to. “It was my understanding when I left the meeting that it was over with. Apparently, that has changed. I guess I’ll talk to her (today).”

Last Friday, Kamin placed Harbor on football probation for two years and banned the team from postseason play. She also ordered the school to file with the conference office a weekly written report after each game outlining, among other things, the behavior of its staff and students.

Pierce was placed on supervisory probation and both schools were instructed to have either their athletic administrator or athletic director present at football games and remain there until all players and coaches have left. The schools were warned that players or coaches ejected from games this season--and next season, too, in Harbor’s case--for verbal or physical abuse would be suspended for the following game.

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That decision was modified Wednesday, when the hearing board, comprised of a representative from each of the WSC member schools, voted 10-0 (Pierce and Harbor were not permitted to vote) to reduce Harbor’s probation to one year.

“They said we still need to do all of the things we were asked to do and then, at the end of the year, we are to write a disciplinary report and tell them what we’ve done,” said Charlie Bossler, the athletic administrator at Harbor. “If we fail to do that to their satisfaction, the additional year will be reinstated.”

The fight broke out near the teams’ locker rooms after visiting Pierce beat the Seahawks, 23-0. Pierce assistant coach Pat Swift was hit on the head with a crutch during the fracas and knocked unconscious. He was hospitalized for several days and released last weekend.

Harbor wide receiver Dion Mills, 19, was charged with one felony count of assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly hitting Swift. He is free on $35,000 bail and will be arraigned Oct. 20 at San Pedro Municipal Court.

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Staff writer Mitch Polin contributed to this story.

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