Realignment Plan Is Expected to Pass

Realignment of the county’s 10 high school athletic leagues for the 1999-2002 school years is expected to be approved today at the Southern Section executive council meeting at the Sequoia Athletic Club in Buena Park.

Huntington Beach Principal Jim Staunton, chairman of the county’s releaguing committee, which has worked on proposals since January of 1997, said, “By my estimation, the county’s bankruptcy problem was solved faster than this.”

Section Commissioner Dean Crowley said he doesn’t foresee any challenges today. “Esperanza could still appeal,” he said, “but it would be up to the council [members] if they want to entertain such a motion. But I expect it [the latest proposal] to be passed with no problem.”

Esperanza Principal Dave Flynn, however, said the message to his school has been made clear: Stay in the Sunset League.

“We did not file an additional appeal [after the state executive committee turned down our appeal in November] and we will not appeal [today],” Flynn said.

“We will live with the releaguing proposal as it is for another three years and then pursue [changing] it again.”

When the section council met on Oct. 21, 1997, for its first vote on a realignment proposal, then-Esperanza Principal Ray Plutko convinced the 61-member body that keeping his school in the Sunset League was a geographical hardship, and that students were missing too much class time to travel to games.

The council told the county’s releaguing committee to reconsider and come up with another proposal; however, its next proposal still kept Esperanza in the Sunset League.

A look at the proposed league members for the next three school years:

Century--Canyon, El Modena, Foothill, Orange, Santa Ana Valley, Villa Park.

Empire--Century, Cypress, El Dorado, Katella, Kennedy, Loara.

Freeway--Buena Park, Fullerton, La Habra, Sonora, Sunny Hills, Troy.

Garden Grove--Bolsa Grande, Garden Grove, La Quinta, Los Amigos, Pacifica, Rancho Alamitos, Santiago.

Golden West--Ocean View, Saddleback, Santa Ana, Tustin, Westminster.

Orange--Anaheim, Brea Olinda, Magnolia, Savanna, Valencia, Western.

Pacific Coast--Corona del Mar, Costa Mesa, Estancia, Laguna Beach, Northwood (scheduled to open in the fall with a few varsity teams), University.

Sea View--Aliso Niguel, Irvine, Laguna Hills, Newport Harbor, Woodbridge.

South Coast--Capistrano Valley, Dana Hills, El Toro, Mission Viejo, San Clemente, Trabuco Hills.

Sunset--Edison, Esperanza, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Los Alamitos, Marina.

Catholic schools Mater Dei (South Coast), Santa Margarita (Sea View), Servite (Golden West) and Rosary (Golden West) are leaving the public school leagues and joining the Catholic Athletic Assn.