Salesian, Camarillo, Newbury Park, Thousand Oaks all win appeals

With two weeks to go before the Southern Section Council meets to finalize new leagues on April 30, the Executive Committee met on Wednesday and upheld appeals submitted by Salesian, Camarillo, Newbury Park and Thousand Oaks, forcing the schools in their areas to meet again and produce another recommendation or reaffirm the existing recommendation.

Salesian, part of the Catholic Athletic Association, was moved into a league for football only with Bishop Amat, Loyola and Gardena Serra. The CAA will meet again to decide whether to keep Salesian in the current league or move another school in. Either way, Salesian or another school could appeal to the Council on April 30. Then anything can happen when representatives from all the schools in the Southern Section meet.

The Northern Area representatives will have to gather and decide how to make Newbury Park, Thousand Oaks and Camarillo happy. All were put in a league for football with Oaks Christian, St. Bonaventure and Westlake. The representatives could just reaffirm their decision and leave it up to the Council.

In other words, it’s a “big mess,” as one coach put it. But it’s all coming to a conclusion on April 30.

The Executive Committee’s decision might come as a surprise, but maybe not. When Oaks Christian, Damien, St. Bonaventure and St. Lucy’s filed a federal lawsuit and won in arbitration to stay in their areas, one of the original complaints was the failure of due process. The Executive Committee just gave the schools due process.

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