Fontana Puts 13 Players on Suspension

Thirteen Fontana High School football players on Wednesday were suspended from school for five days, four of them face expulsion and an undetermined number may face criminal prosecution stemming from a violent incident after a playoff game against Loyola last Friday.

The incident took place during the postgame handshake after Loyola’s 28-7 victory in the first round of the Southern Section Division I playoffs at Pierce College in Woodland Hills.

The flash point occurred when a Fontana player, identified by Fontana Coach Bob Stangel as senior defensive back Corey Lawson, punched a Loyola assistant coach. The action set off a brawl that lasted several minutes.

Names of the suspended players were not released by Fontana.

Bill Thomason, Loyola’s principal, said one Loyola student, who is not a member of the football team or coaching staff, was disciplined for his role in the incident.

Several Fontana players have alleged that a Loyola assistant coach was using pejorative racial terms during the game. Loyola officials deny the allegation.

“To have to take [disciplinary] action was easy, but to view the actions was not,” said Fontana Principal Mike Demmer, who met with Southern Section officials Tuesday to review videotape of the incident. “But these students crossed the line--they crossed way over the line.”

A criminal investigation of the incident is ongoing, said Lt. Ted Barnes of the Los Angeles Community College District police. He said charges could be filed next week.

“We still have a lot of [videotape] footage to review,” Barnes said. “Our report will be submitted to the city attorney and the juvenile district attorney because some of the players are 18.”

Jim Staunton, commissioner of the Southern Section, said the policy of the organization is to let schools handle disciplinary action. The section issues additional sanctions only if a school’s response is deemed inadequate. “Fontana’s administration has been very proactive and positive, they share our concerns,” Staunton said.

Loyola plays Los Alamitos Friday night in the quarterfinals.