Moorpark Gets Its Point Across, Joins Marmonte

Foiled in two previous attempts to join the league of its choice, Moorpark High won the approval of the Southern Section council on Tuesday and will become a member of the Marmonte League next fall.

Council members, who are the presidents of each of the Southern Section’s leagues--voted 40-25 in Moorpark’s favor after school officials unveiled a well-prepared and articulate presentation in a meeting at the Sequoia Athletic Club.

Moorpark, which plays in the Frontier League, was placed in the Channel League when league realignments were formulated in March. The school fought the move because its closest Channel opponent, Buena High in Ventura, is 30 miles away. Three of the Channel League’s other schools are located in Santa Barbara, the farthest some 65 miles away.

“Moorpark did [its] homework and presented arguments based on criteria,” said Dean Crowley, Southern Section commissioner of athletics.

Geography, student enrollment and strength of athletic program are the criteria for realignment.

Moorpark officials argued from the day the school was placed into the Channel League that the Marmonte League was a better fit. But for seven months, few listened.

Moorpark was twice resoundingly shot down, first by the releaguing committee for the Southern Section’s northern area, and again by the Southern Section council.

Moorpark’s request to move to the Marmonte League was fought by, among others, existing members of the Marmonte and Channel leagues.

With Moorpark in the Channel League, both that circuit and the Marmonte League would have had six members. Instead, both leagues will have an odd number of teams, forcing open dates that create scheduling hardships.

But scheduling difficulties are not part of the criteria mapped out by the Southern Section, Moorpark Principal John McIntosh told council members.

“It’s been a long road,” McIntosh said. “We were well prepared and we asked council members to focus on the criteria. I’m gratified that the [Southern Section] council members did what’s best for the kids.”

McIntosh focused on the section’s stated criteria during an impassioned 10-minute plea to council members at the start of the appeal hearing.

Additionally, a 5-foot-by-3-foot map illustrated the vast difference in proximity between Moorpark and Marmonte schools and Moorpark and Channel schools.

On an overhead projector, two contrasting graphics were shown. One illustrated travel times to each Channel and Marmonte league school. The other showed Moorpark’s estimate of how much class time each athlete would miss depending on which league the school was in.

To help set the table for the appeal, Moorpark on Friday faxed every league president a copy of its releaguing rationale, complete with geography graphics, enrollment numbers for teams in both leagues and a list of championships won by Moorpark in the past five years. Each council member received a phone call from a Moorpark administrator.

Also speaking on Moorpark’s behalf Tuesday was Tom Duffy, superintendent of the Moorpark Unified School District, Rob Dearborn, Moorpark’s athletic director, and Gary Cabriales, a Moorpark parent and board of education member.

Speaking against moving Moorpark was Royal Principal Doug Huckaby, the Marmonte League president, and Rio Mesa Principal Eric Ortega.

Ortega belittled Moorpark’s plight, saying the school’s presentation hadn’t changed from last May except that previously “everyone got their information in a colored folder.”

“This isn’t about being miffed or colored folders being passed out,” Cabriales told the council. “It’s about the kids.”

Forty minutes after the discussion began, council members sided with Moorpark, which will be a Marmonte League member at least through the spring of 2002.

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LEAGUES OF THEIR OWN

Moorpark High’s appeal to join the Marmonte League was passed by the Southern Section council on Tuesday. Beginning in the fall of next year, the Marmonte, Channel and “Oxnard District” leagues will look this way:

*

Channel League

Buena

Dos Pueblos

San Marcos

Santa Barbara

Ventura

*

Marmonte League

Agoura

Moorpark

Newbury Park

Royal

Simi Valley

Thousand Oaks

Westlake

*

“Oxnard District” League

Camarillo

Channel Islands

Hueneme

Oxnard

Rio Mesa