Moore League Tackles Scheduling

Coaches from Long Beach Wilson, Long Beach Poly, Lakewood and Long Beach Millikan are scrambling this week to resolve scheduling problems that erupted when four of their Moore League counterparts announced last week they would not field teams this year.

Long Beach Jordan, Compton, Cabrillo and Avalon--which competes in the Moore League for golf only--all indicated they were unable to meet the new state minimum of six players. Last year, when the minimum was three, Avalon and Jordan were able to field teams.

The problem is that the schools not fielding teams did not inform the others until last week, after each school had drawn up schedules.

“It’s been a major headache for everyone involved,” said Wilson Coach Jim Ferguson. “It’s created a predicament and it’s been frustrating.”

Because the league schedule called for two matches against each school, Moore League teams were committed to 14 league matches, leaving only four nonleague contests to stay within the Southern Section limit of 18.

Now the remaining teams are left trying to figure out how to fill their schedules.

“It looks like we’re going to try and play everyone three times in league instead of two,” Ferguson said. “We’re trying to make sure nobody has any conflicts in scheduling.”

Course conquerors: Anaheim Esperanza--led by junior Kayley Parrett, who averages 39.5 strokes per nine holes--has shot 225 or better in winning its first three matches. Those scores are impressive considering they have come at difficult courses such as Yorba Linda Country Club, Alta Vista and Los Serranos.

But they are not surprising considering the Aztecs’ depth.

Coach Mike Davis said 30 girls tried out for the team, forcing him to make cuts. That’s in stark contrast to many schools struggling to field teams under the new regulation requiring six players.

Dynamic duo: Ashley Forbes and Alana Ercanson of Palm Desert teamed to win the San Marcos Invitational on Saturday at La Purisima GC.

Forbes and Ercanson shot one-over-par 73 and tied with Emma Stachowicz and Eunice Lee of North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake in the two-player scramble. Forbes and Ercanson won on the first playoff hole.