Realignment Plan Leaves Esperanza in Sunset; Principal Vows to Appeal

County principals decided Thursday to leave Esperanza in the Sunset League when they send their next proposal to realign the county’s 10 athletic leagues to the Southern Section.

The only changes in the proposal are to send Aliso Niguel, Laguna Hills and University to the Sea View League, Corona del Mar to the Pacific Coast League and El Toro to the South Coast League.

The Pacific Coast League will be a five-team league until Northwood High School, scheduled to open in 1999, can develop varsity-level football. The Golden West League would also be a five-team league because Servite, along with Mater Dei and Santa Margarita, will be in the Catholic Athletic Association.

Esperanza principal Dave Flynn, who wants his school out of the Sunset League because of the travel distance to games, said he plans to appeal the proposal to the Southern Section Executive Committee when it meets on Nov. 4. The school won an appeal of a similar plan last October.

“We will appeal on the basis of what was successful for us in January again, that would be geography, enrollment, and being able to play in a league that is comparable to us. We believe the CIF will support us again,” Flynn said.