Parents to Take Dispute to Court

The Southern Section upheld its ruling that Arcadia must forfeit its 4-0 victory over Villa Park in the first round of the Division I baseball playoffs.

However, a group of Arcadia parents have retained an attorney to seek a temporary restraining order this morning in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Arcadia Coach Sean McCorry, who was ejected from his team’s final regular-season game, viewed Friday’s playoff game from off campus. Villa Park protested his presence after discovering he was watching the game. The section ruled Saturday that Arcadia must forfeit the victory because McCorry was in attendance. An appeal Monday by Arcadia was denied.

“Coaches cannot be anywhere near the facility for the next game,” said Thom Simmons, a section spokesman. “[McCorry] was seen [at the game] by more than one person, including the umpiring crew.”

Arcadia Athletic Director Mike Gordon, who said he interpreted the section rules as allowing McCorry to view the game as long as he wasn’t at the field, said the school wouldn’t file another appeal.

Larry Larson, president of the Arcadia baseball booster club, said they will argue that the section’s rule book is vague in its definition in regards to attendance.

“The kids were wronged because of a rule that’s ambiguous, at best,” Larson said.

Arcadia’s penalty is not without precedent. The Santa Ana Foothill girls’ water polo team forfeited its victory over Newport Harbor in the championship game of the 2002 Southern California Invitational because a co-coach, who was ejected in a semifinal, was on campus, but not near the pool, during the game.