HS FOOT: Oaks Christian to join Marmonte for football only

Small-schools sports power Oaks Christian was voted out of the Tri-Valley League and into the Marmonte League to replace Calabasas for all sports Thursday at CIF Council meeting in Long Beach - but the decision lasted just a few minutes before it was overturned on an immediate appeal.

So it is decreed that Oaks Christian - along with Channel League power St. Bonaventure -- will join the Marmonte League for football only beginning in 2010, and Calabasas gets to stay in the Marmonte League.

The Marmonte League will have 10 teams for football instead of eight, and league officials expect to divide the league into two five-team sub-leagues, though whom will go where has yet to be determined.

"I think it's probably a good idea for everybody," Oaks Christian football coach Bill Redell said. "Right now, I'm a little shocked because idea of a 10-team league wasn't even on the radar. But I think to compete in the Marmonte League there are going to have to be some philosophical changes for us."

Defending Northwest Division champion Oaks Christian has won six consecutive lower-division titles, while splitting two nonleague games with St. Bonaventure in 2006 and 2007.

While the Oaks Christian football program is among the best in the country, most of the other boys' and girls' sports are more on par with their small-school peers. So by not being forced into the Marmonte League for all sports, Oaks Christian is pleased.

Oaks Christian has 732 students, while the eight current Marmonte League schools all have 2,000 or more.

"Oh, we're very happy. This is very exciting," Oaks Christian athletic director Jan Hethcock said. "We wanted to be in the Marmonte League for football only because of enrollment and equality issues. The funny thing, we came up with this same proposal a year ago, and everyone went, 'Nah, that's stupid.'"

With St. Bonaventure having won eight section football titles over 10 years and Oaks Christian having won six in a row, combined with traditional powers Westlake, Moorpark, Newbury Park and Thousand Oaks, the Marmonte League figures to have total respect.

"It will probably be one of the toughest leagues in the country," Agoura football coach Charlie Wegher said. "There is still a lot of discussion that has to take place, though, as far as figuring out how the two tiers are going to work. We'll just have to wait until it all shakes out."

-- Gerry Gittelson