Banning’s Unsportsmanlike Conduct Particularly Foul

The NFL’s Raiders, in their nastiest days, couldn’t have gotten away with what Wilmington Banning High players tried last Friday night in a disheartening display of unsportsmanlike conduct during a game against Newhall Hart.

The Pilots were called for eight personal fouls, including four late hits on Hart quarterback Matt Moore. Three Banning players were ejected in the 34-0 defeat. Most disturbing of all, Banning coaches didn’t seem to think their players did anything wrong.

“We weren’t trying to hurt him,” Pilot Coach Ed Lalau said, referring to Moore. “We were just trying to get to him.”

Banning is lucky several of its players weren’t taken away in handcuffs. Their actions were that blatant.

Moore’s father, Don, a big man who used to pitch in baseball’s minor leagues, showed restraint in not leaving the bleachers at College of the Canyons to confront Banning coaches.

Not that he wasn’t tempted. “I think Banning should be ashamed of themselves,” he said.

Critics in the past have complained that Los Angeles City Section teams lack discipline, a blanket statement that casts an inaccurate stereotype on many fine football programs. But in this instance, it was true.

Banning, as the defending City champion, is supposedly an example of the best in City football. With a lot of people watching on Friday, the Pilots blew a golden opportunity to show the grace of a champion who was soundly beaten.

Give Lalau credit for making his team shake hands with Hart players at the conclusion of the game and warning his players that if anyone caused a problem during the handshakes, they’d be dropped from the team.

But his failure to recognize that what his players did was wrong can’t go unchallenged. Their deliberate late hits represented the worst in high school football.

On Monday, assistant principal Jon Chernow of Banning said that, after reviewing film, the Pilots accepted two of the ejections as legitimate judgment calls by the officials. But the school is appealing the ejection of defensive tackle Fred Matua.

And Chernow concluded, “We felt the officials were biased and other calls were too quick.”

On the contrary, if the officials had not done their job in making ejections and calling appropriate penalties, players could have been seriously injured and there might well have been a bench-clearing brawl.

Chernow has suspended an assistant coach for Friday’s game against Long Beach Poly because he didn’t like how the coach acted during the game. That’s about it for Banning’s response.

If the City and Southern Section are serious about their campaign to promote positive sports behavior through “Character Counts,” then what transpired in Banning’s game can’t be repeated.

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During the fourth quarter of his team’s game against Los Angeles Jefferson, receiver Jeremy Boyle of Woodland Hills El Camino Real was stuck on the sideline in pain from cramps. That caused his mother to come out of the bleachers and remind him that he didn’t consume enough potassium.

“Are you going to listen to me?” his mother said. “Eat bananas.”

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Lancaster Paraclete, the defending Division XII champion in football, has four players who are Eagle Scouts. Receiver Matt Boyle and linemen Alberto Jaramillo, Alex Bernal and Steven Norris made it through years of hard work to earn the most prestigious honor in scouting.

. “They’re all extremely coachable and extremely self motivated,” Coach Jeff Cortez said. “All have a great work ethic.”

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There shouldn’t be too many better football games involving Orange County teams than Friday night’s showdown between Santa Ana Mater Dei (1-0) and host Mission Viejo (1-0).

Running back Robbie Dubois of Mission Viejo rushed for 244 yards and scored three touchdowns in his season opener last week.

“We better contain him or we’re going to get hit in the face,” Mater Dei Coach Bruce Rollinson said.

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After more than 30 years, Carson High will host its first night football game Friday against Woodland Hills Taft. The Colts’ new lights were paid for by their booster club and other donations .... Former UCLA kicker Chris Sailer has gone into the private coaching business. He has given kicking lessons as far away as Visalia. He has his own Internet address: https://www.chrissailerkicking.com.

West Hills Chaminade pitcher Sean Clark has committed to Arizona State

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* Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.