HIGH SCHOOLS : Marina Basketball Players Upset Over Firing of Coach

Members of the Marina girls’ basketball team, upset about the firing of their coach, Pete Bonny, had a meeting Sunday night to discuss their options. Bonny, who was fired Friday, had a record of 223-58 in nine seasons coaching at Marina. He led the Vikings to the 1998 Southern Section Division I-A title and at least a share of six Sunset League titles.

“I’m just shocked,” senior forward Nikki Lee said. “I almost cried when I found out. I don’t understand why. He is such a part of us. We spend more time with him than our own families.”

The team hopes to meet with Marina Principal Carol Osbrink today to see if there is a way Bonny can be retained as coach.

“We want to do this as soon as possible,” junior guard Miranda Emde said. “We know [Osbrink] is already looking for a new coach and we want to do whatever we can to stop her.”

Bonny told his players he was fired because of a letter he wrote to a referee criticizing the referee’s workat a summer tournament, according to Emde and Lee.

Emde said that a less severe punishment was called for.

“We are totally mad,” Emde said. “‘We had no idea this was going to happen. They didn’t give him any warnings, just bam, you’re fired.”

Booster club President Chuck Emde, Miranda’s father, said there are a number of people upset by the decision. Hesaid a meeting is scheduled Tuesday night, to give Osbrink an opportunity to explain her reasoning to parents and boosters.

“I told her when she called me on Friday that I thought the community and parents weren’t going to receive this really well,” Chuck Emde said. “Pete may not be Mr. Personality, but he gives so much of himself to the kids and the program. He has done a tremendous amount for this program and the school. There are a lot of people trying to get the decision reversed.”

Osbrink and Bonny could not be reached for comment.

According to Chuck Emde, Osbrink has yet to explain her reasons for the firing.

“There are a lot of questions out there and the action has a tremendous amount of people concerned,” he said. “Why? What did [Bonny] do that was so bad that a step like this would be taken, one that affects the welfare of the program?”

The Tuesday meeting is tentatively set for 6:30 p.m. in the school cafeteria.

NO PAIR

Savanna football players Lou and Tom Sutter are fraternal twins, but the similarities end there. Lou is a 6-foot-3, 250-pound senior lineman for the Rebels, while Tom is a 5-10, 170-pound quarterback and defensive back.

NEW CAREER?

Rocky Ciarelli and his wife and co-coach, Cammy, stepped down as volleyball coaches at Huntington Beach last week, and that may make for a quieter season for officials.

Although Cammy was always relatively reserved on the bench, Rocky was known as one of the most animated and vociferous coaches in the county. He quipped about giving other coaches a shot at some payback.

“Maybe I should try out to be an official,” Ciarelli said, laughing. “Wouldn’t that be great?”

HATES THEM

Jerry Witte is in his 26th season as a football coach and he doesn’t hold back his opinion about the redrawn Golden West League, which dropped to five teams when Servite moved into the new Serra League.

“I hate five-team leagues,” Witte said. “You have to scramble to fill a bye and it’s not just a problem for football. It’s a problem for all sports.”

Witte contends that five-team leagues, which get three postseason berths, have the potential to water down the playoffs.

“It’s possible for a team that has a record of 2-8 to go to the playoffs,” he said. “As it was, last season in a six-team league, a team with a 3-7 record went to the playoffs. But now, you only have to win two games and if those games are against teams in your league, you go to the playoffs.”

FOOTBALL PREVIEW

The Times will publish its 1999 Orange County prep football preview edition Thursday.

Staff writers Dan Arritt, Michael Itagaki and Paul McLeod contributed to this report.