Prep column: CIF Commissioner drops the ball

Barry Faulkner

The Upland High football team had its season-ending banquet Sunday

night. Celebration, however, was hardly the theme, despite a 12-2 season

which included a Baseline League championship and a trip to the CIF

Southern Section Division II title game.

Coach Tom Salter’s Highlanders were defeated in the championship game,

17-14, by defending champion Diamond Bar. But the winning touchdown

drive, late in the fourth quarter, was helped along when officials

errantly awarded Diamond Bar a fifth down. A completed pass on the

fifth-down play, after fervent but unsuccessful attempts by Salter to

draw the referee’s attention to the miscue, moved the chains and the

Brahmas went on to claim the disputed title.

On Dec. 13, the Monday following the Friday night game, Upland appealed

to the section office, with hopes of being declared co-champion.

Days later, while the section was investigating the appeal, Diamond Bar

administrators announced conditional support for Upland being recognized

co-champions.

The section office, however, ruled Dec. 17 that since, by rule, there are

no provisions for protests after the fact in section playoff games, it

had denied Upland’s request.

A press release announcing the decision detailed regret, disciplinary

action against the officials involved, and the statement that although

Upland’s players “will not receive a trophy that states as much, they are

champions.”

Southern Section Commissioner Jim Staunton, addressing the section

council at Thursday’s meeting, said while section administrators

sympathized with Upland’s plight, they could not recognize a mutual

compromise between the two schools because they did not believe the

section office was legislatively empowered to do so.

Staunton, reached by phone Thursday, agreed that while an appeals process

is in place, when rules violations are involved, the inability to make

post-event protests renders the decision on such appeals academic.

Staunton suggested at the council meeting that legislation to create a

special circumstances provision for such appeals be generated by the

council.

Did Staunton follow the rules? Yes.

Did he hide behind those rules? You bet.

Common sense, as well as his constitutional mandate -- Article 5, item

54.4 states “The Commissioner shall interpret all rules and regulations

of the organization and these interpretations will be final, until such

time as the Executive Committee rules otherwise,” -- should have prompted

Staunton to grant the compromise agreed upon by both schools.

It prompts him still.

If the commissioner can’t make such decisions, why does he carry such a

title?

q

The Dec. 13 CIF Southern Section press release detailing divisional

football championship games stated: “Diamond Bar won its third (section)

title with a 14-14 win over Upland.”

Talk about a classic Freudian slip.

q

Staunton will be out of the office until Wednesday, so a ruling on

whether Laguna Beach boys basketball will forfeit its three Pacific Coast

League wins will likely not be finalized until then.

Laguna Beach Principal Stuart Sims said Monday he had gathered all the

documents the section office asked for, regarding the eligibility of

6-foot-10 senior center Chris Manker, who transferred from Iowa in

December.

q

Nick Cabico, a sophomore expected to return to Costa Mesa High after

spending the fall semester at Mater Dei, will resume playing basketball

next season.

Cabico is immediately eligible in baseball this spring, but must obtain a

hardship waiver to be eligible for football at Mesa, after playing for

Mater Dei last fall. CIF transfer rules state a waiver must be obtained

to supersede ineligibility for varsity competition for a full year after

a student completes playing any sport at his previous school.

Larry Cabico, Nick’s father, said financial hardship -- created by plans

for Jason Cabico, Nick’s older brother, to attend an Ivy League College

next fall -- will be the basis of the hardship waiver application.

q

The Southern Section has confirmed 10 wins will result in automatic

playoff berths for boys and girls basketball teams in CIF Division

III-AA, comprised of schools which formerly made up III-AA and III-A.

This is good news for boys teams at Costa Mesa, Corona del Mar and,

particularly last-place Estancia, as they trudge along in the fiendishly

competitive PCL.

q

I believe a proposal to forbid schools from moving up in enrollment-based

playoff divisions (based largely on perceived inequities in last spring’s

Division I baseball playoffs) will pass by majority vote at the April 13

CIF council meeting.

This will require counter legislation be generated, particularly from

girls volleyball and, perhaps, boys and girls tennis coaches, to reflect

a consensus belief that “playing up” is a good idea in those sports.