Laguna Hills Forfeits Three Football Games

The Laguna Hills High School football team ended its season on a disappointing note last week, learning it must forfeit three games--two victories and a tie--for fielding an ineligible player.

Coach Paul Weinberger said he learned last week that David Oh, a sophomore running back promoted from junior varsity for the third game of the season, was 14 years old. California Interscholastic Federation rules state that all varsity players must be 15 or older.

Weinberger said the violation was an oversight, which he discovered last week while checking the ages of other junior varsity players he wanted to bring up for the final game of the season.

“I was trying to bring up as many as I could, as a reward to them,” he said.

Weinberger notified the Southern Section office of the violation on Friday, before the Hawks’ final game of the season against Trabuco Hills. The game, without the forfeits, would have decided the Pacific Coast League’s third playoff berth. Laguna Hills lost, 26-17.

“It was very disappointing for the kids,” Weinberger said. “They played very well under the circumstances.”

Laguna Hills forfeits its only wins, against league opponents Costa Mesa and Orange, and a nonleague tie with Santa Paula.