League changes on table

Barry Faulkner

Representatives from 80 high schools in the Orange County releaguing

area will meet Friday at Beckman High in Irvine in an attempt to

finalize athletic league alignments for a four-year cycle that begins

in September of 2006.

Releaguing meetings thus far have narrowed proposals to eight,

though counterproposals may be considered Friday by principals,

athletic directors and assistant principals.

The potential change with the biggest impact on athletic fortunes

for Newport-Mesa schools would involve Newport Harbor moving from the

Sea View League to the Sunset League.

Only two of the eight current proposals have the Sailors remaining

in the Sea View League, though one of those, presented by Mission

Viejo High, received the most votes Thursday, when 54 original

proposals were pared down.

Corona del Mar would remain in the Pacific Coast League in five

proposals, though some of those would alter the league’s makeup. Two

proposals would place CdM in a newly configured Sea View League and

another would place the Sea Kings in a new league with current Sea

View members Irvine, Laguna Hills and Woodbridge, as well as Pacific

Coast League castoff Beckman and newly opened parochial school

JSerra.

Seven proposals would leave Estancia in the Golden West League,

with the other placing the Eagles in a new league with several

schools either recently opened, or planning to open soon.

Costa Mesa would remain in the Golden West League in six plans. In

addition to joining Estancia in the arformentioned new league, one

plan has the Mustangs returning to the Pacific Coast League with CdM,

Laguna Hills, Irvine, Laguna Beach and University.

A shift to the Sunset would mean a greater competitive challenge

for Newport Harbor, including Division I football.

“The real impact [of such a move] hits you when you go to the

playoffs,” Brinkley said. “In Division I, you’re going to meet

schools like Loyola and Long Beach Poly, or somebody along that line.

“Division VI [in which the Sailors lost to Orange Lutheran in the

championship game last fall] is very competitive,” Brinkley said.

“There have been teams, like Orange Lutheran [in 2004] and Los Altos,

which won it in 2003, who could play at the Division I level. We’ve

had years when our teams could play at that level, but year-in and

year-out, week-in and week-out, that’s a pretty tough grind.”

Newport Harbor Principal Michael Vossen and Eric Tweit, the

Sailors’ boys athletic director, said they would both prefer to

remain in the Sea View.

“Our fate is in other people’s hands, but I think we’re a perfect

fit in the Sea View League,” Tweit said.

“The Sea View League has always been a match for us, in terms of

the three [releaguing] criteria [geography, enrollment and

competitive equity],” Vossen said. “We believe it’s a great place for

us to be. The Sunset League, for us, is not as good a match with

those three criteria.”