Aram posted a scoop last night about West Covina acquiring Justin Hornsby, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound defensive end from Rancho Verde. The part I found most interesting was this: Hornsby, who attended Rancho Verde last year, moved into the Covina Unified School District and was in South Hills’ area. But the junior-to-be wanted to play at West Covina. He had to protest to the county because Covina Unified would not release him. After a five-hour wait at the county office on Tuesday, Hornsby got clearance.

Fred’s take: I’m on record many times saying in most cases players should be able to transfer without CIF’s interference, though CIF is just following the rules set forth by the schools. But if a school district allows a player to transfer and he’s making the grades, he should be able to play sports at the school, and I’m hoping this works out for Hornsby. But you wonder what CIF does with this if Aram’s accounts are accurate. He said the junior-to-be “wanted” to play at West Covina despite being in the South Hills school district. On the surface, that sounds athletically motivated. So let’s be clear, although he’s been cleared to attend West Covina, he still needs to be cleared by CIF to play football. This may not be a normal transfer, to be eligible at West Covina, he will probably have to file a hardship transfer, explaining why he felt compelled to attend West Covina, despite living in South Hills’ district. Stay tuned.