The celebration of an 11th CIF boys team golfing title for the Palm Desert Aztecs lasted just one particular working day.
On Tuesday the Aztecs forfeited the Division 1 team regional title they received a day before in Chino Hills due to the fact of a violation of CIF-Southern Section rules on workforce functions the working day just before a level of competition. The school self-reported the violation.
“I choose full accountability,” Palm Desert head mentor Kurt Breitfuss reported. “That’s my work, is to know the guidelines.”
Palm Desert received the Division 1 title with a crew rating of 8-in excess of 368 at Western Hills Golf Club, two pictures far better than runner-up Corona del Mar. Breitfuss claimed his team went to the course Sunday to go over a few holes that Breitfuss felt the workforce necessary to play very well. The team hit some pictures on the course, and later on they went to meal and mentioned the impending Monday round.
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The actions of the workforce with the coach in proximity was ample for the CIF-SS to concur that its rules experienced been violated.
“CIF-SS bylaws 504.M and 2212 condition: In purchase to offer at least a person day of respite from involvement in interscholastic athletics each and every week, no interscholastic games or tactics of any type are to be held on Sunday,” the CIF-SS claimed in a release announcing the forfeiture. “Page 27 of the CIF Southern Area on Boys Golfing Playoff Bulletin states the pursuing: No apply or instruction from the university coach of any kind (group or specific) might be done on Sunday.”
“My heart breaks naturally for the scholar-athletes and the dad and mom. And obviously the college students-athletes’ and the parents’ hearts are damaged in the circumstance as very well,” mentioned Palm Desert principal Dennis Zink. “Nonetheless, as all golfers know, it’s a gentleman’s sport and it’s a policies-primarily based activity and golfers are applied to self-reporting policies violations. And there are penalties for principles violations.”
Season finishes in disappointment
Breitfuss claimed it was his interpretation of the CIF-SS statement that the meal with the staff that was ruled a violation. There are some exceptions to the Sunday rule, these as traveling to a levels of competition on Sunday for a Monday function. The Aztecs did vacation to the Chino Hills area Sunday evening for the Monday morning tee time, but that was cleared by the CIF-SS.
“What constitutes structured practice? Structured observe shall be interpreted as meaning the association of a mentor with workforce users for the purpose of finding out or practising the techniques of golf,” the CIF-SS spelled out in the release.
The 368 staff score was one of the greatest performances of the season for Palm Desert, which went 10- in the Desert Empire League. Freshman Max Margolis led Palm Desert with a 1-under 71 on Monday, adopted by one more freshman, Landon Breisch, with a 72. Senior Lucas Myers shot 73, senior Cabot Ellis shot 75 and sophomore Ivan Tran shot 77. Freshman Caden Breisch shot 83, and his rating was not counted in the six-perform, 5-score structure.
The group was educated of the forfeiture all through a assembly with Breitfuss and faculty officers Tuesday.
“We ended up stunned at the start, as any one would be, and we had been type of let down,” mentioned Ellis. “But we form of rallied immediately after that. For the underclassmen, they have three excellent years in their future and without having a doubt they will have numerous alternatives of carrying out this.”
“It sucks. I was a very little little bit kind of surprised, but at the close of the working day, we nonetheless performed very well in the tournament,” Myers explained. “We gained the tournament. Switching the outcome isn’t going to improve what happened. We know what happened there. We can transfer on from that. People young ones will gain some stuff the up coming 3 many years for certain.”
Zink explained the school is unwavering in its support of Breitfuss, in his first yr as head mentor at Palm Desert.
“I assume he is the correct dude to direct our golfing software and I also believe he’s the appropriate male to train the integrity of golfing but also integrity in everyday living to our student athletes,” Zink mentioned. “I’m really happy with him.”
The forfeiture signifies the Aztecs, the most decorated substantial faculty golfing staff in the Coachella Valley, will not compete Thursday in the CIF-SS team qualifying tournament in Oxnard for a berth in the CIF-SCGA championship later this thirty day period. The SCGA tournament is the Southern California qualifier for the CIF’s point out championship.
Ellis and Myers will nevertheless journey to Oxnard on Thursday to contend for the CIF-SS specific title at River Operate Golfing Training course. Ellis and Myers experienced earlier capable via person regional gatherings, so the forfeiture Tuesday does not influence their unique engage in.
“Lucas and I are privileged adequate to have (the rest of the team) back again us as the two persons heading to River Ridge,” Ellis stated.
Zink reported the school will take techniques to make positive this sort of a forfeiture will not likely happen once more.
“Palm Desert Superior School will perform on all of our procedure
s to insure a comprehensive being familiar with of the principles and what the guidelines mean, both the intent of the policies as effectively as the letter of the regulation,” claimed Zink, who was previously the athletic director at Palm Springs Large Faculty. “We will also function on the interaction of individuals regulations to all of our coaches and athletes so there is a obvious knowledge,”
This write-up initially appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: CIF-SS regulations Palm Desert violated no-Sunday rule before successful boys golf title