Royal Suspends 5 Players for Year

Five Royal High football players, including four starters, have been suspended for the rest of the season for violating the school athletic code.

The players were suspended for unspecified reasons dating to an off-campus incident on Oct. 6. They did not play in the Highlanders’ 28-20 loss to Thousand Oaks on Friday, the Lancers’ first victory this season.

“There was a violation of our athletic code and we are following the rules of it,” Royal Principal Bob LaBelle said. “We looked into it. We checked it all out. We met with all the families. They were outstanding young men who just made a mistake.”

Royal (4-2, 1-1 in Marmonte League play) plays at Newbury Park on Friday night.

“We can’t worry about who’s not here,” Royal Coach Gene Uebelhardt said. “You’ve got to play with who you have.”

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Westlake quarterback Todd Feiereisen suffered a mild shoulder separation in the Warriors’ 38-6 victory over Moorpark on Friday and is expected to be sidelined one to two weeks.

Kent Sowell, a junior who has attempted one pass this season, will start for Westlake (5-1) in a nonleague game against Irvine Woodbridge on Friday night.

Feiereisen injured his right (throwing) shoulder on the first series but remained in the game and completed 10 of 20 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown.

“I knew something wasn’t right,” Feiereisen said. “But they scored first and I wanted to make sure we had the game secure before we left.”

Feiereisen is the second Westlake quarterback to be injured this season. Cory Miles, the Warriors’ first-string quarterback, broke a bone in his left leg on Sept. 16 and is expected back in two to four weeks.

Feiereisen has completed 49 of 94 passes for 821 yards with 11 touchdowns and one interception for Westlake, ranked No. 1 in the region by The Times.

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Newbury Park receiver L. Ray Hawkins, who sprained his ankle against Bend (Ore.) on Saturday, is expected to play against Royal.

Hawkins, who has been in contact with Oregon State, Colorado State and Fresno State, left the game early in the second quarter with five catches for 119 yards and a touchdown. X-rays on Monday were negative.