Santa Margarita Plans to Appeal League Switch

Santa Margarita High is expected to file an appeal today with the CIF office in San Rafael, over its removal from the county public school athletic leagues, principal Merritt Hemenway said Wednesday.

Along with Mater Dei, Rosary and Servite, Santa Margarita was voted out of public school leagues, beginning in the 1999-2000 school year, by the Southern Section Council during its April 28 meeting. The council also voted La Verne Damien and Glendora St. Lucy’s out of the Baseline League.

All six are to be placed in a Catholic league.

Damien already has filed an appeal with the state office.

Hemenway said Santa Margarita’s appeal will be based on geography.

“Even if they put [all six schools] into one league, it would be too far for us to travel,” Hemenway said. “The students would lose too much class time and too much family time.”

Once an appeal is filed, it goes to an arbitration committee of five people from one of the CIF’s allied organizations, said sports information director Jim Duel. None of the five can be from the section of the dispute.

Duel said the appeal should be reviewed and resolved by the end of the school year.

If the appeal is denied, Hemenway said he was not sure of the next step. He said he does not want to eliminate sports at Santa Margarita nor go to court.