Compton Centennial’s Suspension Is Lifted

After a three-week suspension imposed by athletic administrators in the Bay and Ocean leagues, most of the spring sports teams at Compton Centennial High are competing again.

Athletic directors from the leagues voted Tuesday to reinstate the Apaches after Victor Ebanks, Centennial’s vice principal of athletics and activities, made a presentation outlining the school’s plan to improve communication between the school and league members.

Centennial was suspended for, among other issues, failure to provide adequate facilities and supervision of athletes and spectators, and failure to appear for league contests and meetings.

“They’ve made it clear that they will be on top of everything a little better and be able to communicate with us better,” said Art Bias, interim athletic director at Inglewood. “There were some things that were misunderstandings and there were other things that needed to be organized better on their end.”

Ebanks said the baseball, track and girls’ softball teams will continue their regular seasons, which conclude Friday or next week. Ebanks said the boys’ volleyball team was not planning to resume its schedule.

Bias said games that were missed will not be made up. Centennial was allowed to compete in the Ocean League track and field prelims that were held Tuesday.

“The organization will come in time,” Ebanks said. “It will be a hundred times better next year.”

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Lashinda Demus of Long Beach Wilson, Track & Field News magazine’s female athlete of the year in 1999, is making a case for consideration in 2001.

Demus, a senior, established a national record in the 300 low hurdles last Friday at the Reedley Invitational track and field meet.

Demus clocked 40.16 seconds, breaking the record of 40.18 set in 1984 by Leslie Maxie of Mills High in Millbrae.

Demus also set a national indoor record in the 400 meters in February at the Simplot Games in Pocatello, Ida. Her mark of 53.38 was broken in March by Angel Perkins of Cerritos Gahr, who clocked 53.25 at the National Scholastic Indoor Championships in New York.

In another noteworthy track performance, Candace Baucham of Long Beach Poly won the girls’ triple jump at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia last weekend. Baucham won with a mark of 42 feet 2 inches.

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City Section boys’ quarterfinal tennis matches will be played today.

Woodland Hills El Camino Real is the top-seeded team in the Championship division for teams rated 1-16.

Chatsworth is top-seeded in the Invitational division for teams ranked 17-32.

Finals in both divisions will be played May 10 at Balboa Sports Center in Encino.

City section softball and boys’ volleyball playoffs begin Tuesday.

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The state federated council of the California Interscholastic Federation will meet Friday and Saturday in Ontario.

There are several action items on the agenda, including one for basketball that would create a coaches box to be implemented statewide next season.

The council also will continue to discuss transfers for athletic purposes, including issues involving the eligibility of foreign students. Section commissioners have proposed measures that would force school officials to certify that no one connected with their athletic departments or booster clubs made contact with prospective transfers regarding athletic teams. The measures were spurred in part by incidents at Lakewood Artesia, Fresno Clovis West and Villa Park high schools in which foreign athletes brought to the schools by intermediaries were later declared ineligible.

The measures would require principals, athletic directors and coaches to attest that “no person connected with the athletic department or booster club, or anyone acting on their behalf, had communication, directly or indirectly, through intermediaries or otherwise, with the student, student’s parents, guardian or caregiver, or anyone acting on behalf of the student, prior to the completion of the enrollment process.”

The measures could face a vote in October, making them effective beginning in the 2002-03 school year, at the earliest.