Dana Hills Forced to Forfeit Victory Over Santa Margarita

The Dana Hills football team has forfeited one of the biggest victories in the program’s history--a 37-14 romp over then-fourth-ranked Santa Margarita--for using an ineligible player, Dana Hills Coach Scott Orloff said Wednesday.

Bill Clark, Southern Section assistant commissioner, said his office confirmed that Dana Hills “did not have a bona fide change of address” for the player in question.

“They have since requested a hardship waiver and a hardship was granted,” Clark said.

Said Orloff: “We thought we had done everything right. I’ve learned something and I think our athletic director [Mark Thornton] has too. We still won the game. Everybody knows it. Two hundred and fifty-thousand people know it. It can’t take away our victory, and our kids know it.”

So does Santa Margarita Coach Jim Hartigan, who nonetheless was happy to accept the victory.

“They played really well and we didn’t,” Hartigan said of the Sept. 24 game. “I don’t think they’re going to forget about it, even though it didn’t count in the record book. Our kids won’t forget it either. But we went from 3-2 to 4-1 in a five-minute phone call, so that’s not too bad.”

Orloff said the player in question had his eligibility restored before last week’s game against Huntington Beach, which the Dolphins lost, 14-7. Dana Hills is 0-5 entering South Coast League play at Mission Viejo Friday night.

Santa Margarita, which plays a nonleague game against La Puente Bishop Amat Friday night at Saddleback College, now leads the Serra League in victories.