Huntington Beach’s Smith Receives Plenty of Support

Several high school soccer coaches in Orange County rallied Friday to the defense of Huntington Beach boys’ Coach Kevin Smith, who is taking a leave of absence while the Southern Section reviews an investigation of a possible rule violation.

Los Alamitos Coach Trey Scharlin, who coaches with Smith in the Wolfpack soccer club, said he wasn’t surprised that Smith has been accused of coaching his under-19 club team during the school year, which would be a violation of the section’s “association rule” limiting how much time a coach can spend with a club team during the school year. Three Wolfpack players also play for Huntington Beach.

“It’s a tough deal,” said Scharlin, who coaches the girls’ under-14 and boys’ under-13 teams for the Wolfpack. “On paper, Kevin’s not the coach of that [Wolfpack] team [in the fall]. But he’s at every game and every practice. Most players consider him the guy. I always thought he was taking a risk.”

Southern Section Commissioner Jim Staunton said Friday he and Karen Hellyer, assistant commissioner in charge of boys’ soccer, are reviewing Smith’s role with the Wolfpack and the high school team. Staunton said his office expected to rule Monday.

“The kids are not going to be punished in any way,” Staunton said. “Kevin is in limbo and we’d like to settle this. We have been in contact with an officer from the Wolfpack club to find out more information. Kevin was very forthcoming with us. We’re examining his role within the club to see if that stretches the definition of coaching.”

If found guilty of a violation, Smith could be forced from his high school coaching duties. He coached the Oilers to victories in their first four games, but he has voluntarily missed the last three games.

Scharlin and others said they did not know the source of the complaints, but it is believed to have been made by a rival Sunset League school.

Scharlin, like other coaches, said he did not think Smith should lose his job.

“I don’t necessarily agree with the rule,” said Scharlin, who has two of his Los Alamitos players on Smith’s under-19 team. “We can only better the progress of high school soccer if it’s available to all coaches and players.”

Except for admitting he filled in once last fall for the under-19 head coach, Smith has denied coaching his Wolfpack team during the school year. But Staunton said the section began its review when his office received complaints about Smith’s role from parents whose children play for the Wolfpack club.

While Smith and his undefeated team await word on his future at Huntington Beach, his peers in the club and high school soccer community defended his coaching record and his integrity.

El Dorado High’s Marc Smith was particularly empathetic. He coaches an under-17 club team in Placentia, and has also been accused of breaking the association rule, which limits the time a coach can train or instruct his players during the school year to a sixth-period class when the sport is not in season.

“Kevin is a good guy and he’s great for high school soccer,” Marc Smith said. “If coaches like Kevin start leaving the high schools, you’ll get a lot of people in there who don’t know what they’re doing.”

While he doesn’t agree with the association rule, Marc Smith said he has no problem abiding by it.

“It’s tough to let my team go after the summer, but I’ve got to do it,” he said.

Woodbridge Coach Jon Szczuka, who played with Smith at UC Irvine, said he avoids running afoul of the association rule by coaching the boys’ 10 and 12-year-old teams for the Irvine Strikers.

Many soccer coaches have long been opposed to the Southern Section’s association rule, the only one of its kind in California high school athletics. But Staunton said a recent survey indicated there is still strong support for it among the section’s principals.

“The rule’s intent is in keeping with the CIF’s well-rounded philosophy on sports,” he said. “It encourages kids to play many sports. It also encourages our coaches to be educators first and I think it gives the kids a break.”

But Woodbridge’s Szczuka believes the rule has outlived its usefulness.

“If someone had a class-action lawsuit against the rule, they would have a good chance of winning,” Szczuka said. “You’re restricting someone’s earnings by telling them where they can coach.

“If Kevin decides to take on the rule, I’d support him in whatever way I could. Kevin is one of the biggest class acts in coaching. Everything I’ve ever seen him do has been in the best interests of the kids. It’s a shame this is happening to him.”

Even those high school coaches who don’t participate in club play came out in support of Smith. Santa Margarita’s Curt Bauer, who has probably the preeminent boys’ program in the county, also believes the rule needs to be eliminated.

“You’re limiting the pool of quality coaches and that’s not fair,” Bauer said. “When the club season breaks, they have four months without a job. It’s discriminatory. You’re not allowing these coaches the opportunity to work.”

Bauer, who coached at the club level for three years, said there are abuses of the rule in all sports, especially in baseball.

“It’s called American Legion,” he said. “The same high school team plays in the summer and they’re simply coached by a parent. But the coaches are at most of the games.”