Sunset League Seeks Move to Division II

Sunset League representatives will seek approval at today’s Southern Section Council meeting to move from Division I to Division II for the football playoffs beginning this fall.

When playoff groupings were announced last winter for the 1999 football season, the South Coast League was moved from Division I to Division II, since its most powerful member, Mater Dei, was being placed in an all-parochial league--with Servite, Santa Margarita and Rosary--starting this fall.

The Sunset League, however, was kept in Division I. Sunset League representatives appealed the decision, and the section’s playoff committee sustained the appeal.

If the council approves the move today, Division II would contain six leagues. No division had more than five leagues competing for a football championship last season.

Not everybody is in favor of such a move. Representatives of the Sierra League, a member of Division II, said they will appeal the request.

Ray Moore, athletic director at Diamond Bar and the Sierra League’s coordinator, said even though the Sunset League “did things the right way” in seeking the switch, he felt it is still the wrong decision.

“The schools in the Sunset League are Division I schools,” Moore said. “Our concern is in regard to competitive equity. Los Alamitos and Esperanza have been dominant teams. When they were in Division III in 1991, Los Alamitos beat Esperanza in the final. In 1992, when they were in Division II, they tied in the final.”

Since moving to Division I in 1994, Los Alamitos has a record of 7-5 in the playoffs and reached the semifinals three times. Esperanza has gone 1-5 and has not advanced past the second round.

“It has been pretty clear the Sunset League has not competed as a Division I league the past five years,” Los Alamitos Vice Principal Jerry Halpin said. “When we appealed, the committee heard that and said we were right. The difference between Ray [Moore] and us is, he is supposing we will be too tough for Division II, when we have proven we can’t compete in Division I.”

Moore also argued that moving the Sunset League out of Division I would leave it with only four leagues: two parochial (Angelus and Del Rey) and two public (Citrus Belt and Moore).

“That’s a total of 20 teams,” Moore said. “And 16 teams make the playoffs? That means some last-place league teams would get in.”

But Division I wouldn’t be the only division with four leagues. Divisions IV, V, X and XII each will compete as four-league divisions.