Villa Park Decision Creates an Uproar
Coaches were stunned to hear the news: Villa Park had bolted from its own tournament a few days before its start and joined the more prestigious National Classic tournament, leaving a pair of junior varsity teams to take its place.
The decision created a controversy that lit up Internet message boards and called into question the integrity of the Spartans’ traditionally strong program.
Coaches participating in the eight-team Villa Park tournament were outraged. The mother of the former Villa Park player in whose memory the tournament is dedicated called the decision “disturbing.” And the first-year coach at Villa Park was in severe spin mode, spending several days explaining his actions.
It all started last Monday when the National Classic had a last-minute opening because Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland decided not to participate.
After several schools declined, Villa Park accepted an offer from the National Classic, co-sponsored by Placentia El Dorado and Anaheim Esperanza. Villa Park was replaced in its own tournament by the El Dorado and Esperanza junior varsity teams; each will play twice.
The National Classic has some of the nation’s best teams and faced the possibility of inserting a junior varsity team into the 16-team draw if a suitable replacement couldn’t be found.
“The main thing is we wanted to keep up the integrity of the National Classic,” Villa Park Coach Scott Luke said. “Teams spend $10,000 or $12,000 to come out here for it. They don’t want to play a JV team.”
The Villa Park tournament is sponsored by the Ryan Ferguson Foundation, which helped create the tournament two years ago in memory of the former Villa Park player who died in June 2000 of complications from heat stroke while riding a motorcycle. Ferguson was 21.
Ferguson’s number was retired by the school at the first tournament in 2001. Each year, the foundation contributes $2,000 to the tournament.
“I’m not trying to create controversy [but] it just feels awkward to us,” said Pam Ferguson, Ryan’s mother. “I just kind of think it’s disturbing to be sending a message that we didn’t think our own tourney was good enough to play in. It’s become pretty ugly and a much bigger firestorm than anybody anticipated. I don’t think it’s brought the type of attention to the program that we were hoping.”
Dane Ferguson, Ryan’s younger brother, is a junior outfielder at Villa Park. “It’s been weird,” Ferguson said. “I think we should be playing in our own tournament.”
Said Luke: “I feel like we’re doing the right thing. At the same time, I understand the importance of our tournament and whom it is dedicated to. In the long term for this team and this program, it’s important for us [to play in the National Classic].”
Riverside Arlington, ranked No. 7 in the Southland by The Times, had a chance to play in the National Classic when Coach Gary Rungo was contacted by El Dorado Coach Steve Gullotti last Monday.
Said Rungo: “I said we’d love to go, but we’ve already made a commitment to the Villa Park tournament. When I heard Villa Park was the one that pulled out, it was kind of ironic, to put it mildly.
“What they’re doing is kind of like going to the dance with one girl and leaving with another. You should leave with the girl you brought to the dance.”
Rungo isn’t the only coach angered by Villa Park’s decision.
Newhall Hart has played in the Villa Park tournament the last three years.
Hart Coach Jim Ozella was stunned to hear the tournament host had dropped out.
“I’ve never heard of this in 20 years of coaching,” Ozella said. “How do you leave seven teams hanging? I don’t think I’m coming back next year. I might get stuck playing a JV team.”
Ozella was offended when he heard Villa Park bolted because the insertion of a JV team in the National Classic would have affected the integrity of the tournament.
“Integrity?” Ozella said. “How can you talk about integrity when you drop out of your own tournament?”
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