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SoCalHoops High School & Prep Report

Santa Margarita Fights Re-Leaguing
At State CIF Level--(May 18, 1998)

Santa Margarita of Orange County, the boys' State CIF Division II champion, is unhappy that it will have to play the 1999-2000 season in a new Catholic Athletic League with several Los Angeles Schools, including Loyola. Santa Margarita is appealing the re-leaguing decision to the state level, according to school principal Merritt Hemenway. Hemenway said the school decided Wednesday to appeal to the state CIF concerning the Southern Section's decision to return Santa Margarita to a parochial league beginning with the 1999-2000 school year. "Our basic argument will concern geography," said Hemenway, who said the school would ask to join in an appeal hearing already being scheduled to hear an appeal by Damien of La Verne. "We believe they excluded geography over other considerations in their decision," Hemenway said. Damien principal Father Patrick Travers said his school will argue the Southern Section failed to list what "special circumstances" were used in deciding his school's revised placement. Hemenway and Southern Section commissioner Dean Crowley expect the state to form an arbitration panel to hear the appeals in the next three or four weeks.

Santa Margarita and Damien were among six parochial schools the Southern Section council removed from public school leagues and returned to parochial leagues at its April 25 meeting. The other schools were Mater Dei, Servite, Rosary and St. Lucy's of Glendora. Crowley said the other four schools have not contacted him about an appeal.