Probation for Monroe Over Repeated Paperwork Errors

Monroe High’s athletic program has been placed on one-year probation and the football team will lose a nonleague game next season and in 2002 as punishment for repeated paperwork errors, the City Section Rules Committee announced Tuesday.

The football team will have a bye in the opening week of the 2001 and 2002 seasonsand be allowed to play only nine regular-season games.

The action comes after the Vikings had to forfeit a football game to Cleveland earlier this season because of an ineligible player. The program was already on probation after forfeiting six games last season for using an ineligible player.

Monroe forfeited a game to Canoga Park this season for failing to bring its medical emergency cards.

Coach Chris Richards was suspended two games for allowing a student who was not enrolled at Monroe to practice with the team.

The Rules Committee also denied a waiver to Frank Robinson, a junior basketball player who transferred to Chatsworth from Littlerock.

Robinson will be forced to play on the junior varsity this season unless he wins an appeal.

BASEBALL

* Jake Ditler, a right-handed pitcher from Green Valley High in Nevada, has committed to Cal State Northridge.

Ditler, 6 feet 3, 205 pounds, had a 6-2 record last season and was impressive pitching this summer in the Area Code tournament.

* The San Fernando Valley unit of the California Baseball Umpires Assn. is seeking umpires for the high school season. Clinics will be held during winter games this year.

Information: (818) 909-0582.

BASKETBALL

* Two of the region’s top boys’ teams for the upcoming season, Thousand Oaks and Notre Dame, are scheduled to play in the feature game of the inaugural Mission-Marmonte League Challenge on Jan. 6 at Crespi High.

There are six games scheduled at Crespi. The Thousand Oaks-Notre Dame game is set for 7:30 p.m. It could be a game featuring No. 1 vs. No. 2.

Calabasas will play Agoura in the opening game at 11:30 a.m., followed by Alemany vs. Royal at 1 p.m., Harvard-Westlake vs. Westlake at 2:30 p.m., St. Francis vs. Newbury Park at 4 p.m. and Simi Valley vs. Crespi at 6 p.m.

CROSS-COUNTRY

* Erin Weesner of Royal High, who missed last week’s meet against Agoura after suffering a mild concussion and breaking a bone in her nose while surfing, will run in today’s meet against Simi Valley and host Westlake, and in the Mt. San Antonio College Invitational on Saturday.

Weesner, a junior, has been Royal’s No. 2 runner most of the season.

Royal sophomore Tim Hearst won’t race for the second consecutive week because of an injured left hip.

Hearst is expected to start running again this week, but he isn’t expected to race again until the Ventura County championships on Oct. 27 or the Marmonte League finals on Nov. 2.

SOCCER

* Casey Schmidt, from Newbury Park High, leads Boston College in scoring with seven goals and two assists in 12 games. He was selected Big East Conference offensive player of the week for the second time this season.

Schmidt, a sophomore, had 11 goals last season.

TENNIS

* Lester Cook of Sherman Oaks defeated Derrick Bauer of Marina del Rey, 7-6 (5), 5-7, 6-0, to win the boys’ 18-and-under division title in the Spare Time International Junior Championships on Sunday at Rio Del Oro Racquet Club.