Orange County schools must restart the releaguing process because the CIF Southern Section Executive Committee supported the appeal of five Freeway League schools that claimed the correct procedures were not followed when the process was conducted earlier this year.
The appeals were heard and subsequently supported by the CIF Executive Committee on Thursday.
The five schools in the Freeway League — Fullerton, La Habra, Sonora, Sunny Hills and Troy — appealed on the basis that procedures as outlined in the CIF-SS by-laws were not followed during the Orange County releaguing process.
Orange County high schools had agreed to create football-specific leagues and large conferences for other leagues like a 15-school Century Conference and a 15-school Golden Empire Conference.
Longtime Freeway League schools like La Habra, Sonora, Sunny Hills and Troy would be placed in the Century Conference with schools like Brea Olinda, Crean Lutheran, Villa Park and Yorba Linda. The Fullerton schools objected to the configurations of the non-football conferences.
CIF-SS assistant commissioner Thom Simmons said any Orange County configuration that comes from the upcoming process would not need CIF-SS Council approval. Once the schools have settled upon conference and league memberships, then that plan would be in place for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years.
CIF-SS Council president Jim Perry, who is on the Executive Council, said league configurations need to be agreed upon by the end of December.
Mater Dei president Mike Brennan has chaired the Orange County releaguing meetings the past two releaguing cycles. Brennan could not be reached for comment to discuss if he would be interested in chairing the next releaguing process.
