Montclair Prep Adds Malibu to Schedule

Montclair Prep might have found a road that leads to the Southern Section football playoffs. It runs through Malibu.

A perennial playoff contender, Montclair Prep was in danger of playing too few games this season to be eligible for the postseason. The Southern Section requires a minimum of eight games and the Mounties were facing a seven-game schedule after a meeting with Long Beach St. Anthony fell through.

But now Malibu, a first-year program playing a non-varsity schedule, has stepped into the picture.

Montclair Prep Athletic Director Greg Reece said Thursday the Mounties will play at Malibu on Wednesday in the Sharks’ first varsity football game.

Two days later, the Mounties (2-1) will play Los Angeles Jordan at Valley College in a regularly scheduled game, putting the Mounties in the unusual position of playing two games in the same week.

Southern Section assistant commissioner Bill Clark said playing with only one day off between games is within the rules. But there is another potential snag.

Malibu has a team of 12 freshmen, seven sophomores and nine juniors. Under Southern Section rules, players under 15 years old must receive clearance from a parent and physician to play at the varsity level.

All of Malibu’s freshmen are 14, but Coach Rich Lawson said he has not received parental permission for any of them to play at the varsity level.

“None of their names have been sent to the [Southern Section] office as 14-year-olds playing varsity this season,” Lawson said. “I didn’t think it would come to this.”

Lawson said he plans to contact the section office today about the matter. Regardless, he said he “probably” would go ahead with the matchup using the Sharks’ 16 other players.

Lawson said Malibu agreed to a varsity game after Montclair Prep Coach George Giannini assured him the Mounties would not play any of their seniors.

However, that seems to be a point of contention.

Giannini said he agreed to take his seniors out only if the game was lopsided.