EL CERRITO – One of the East Bay’s best teams is forfeiting its first six games of the season.
El Cerrito played several ineligible student-athletes during those first half-dozen games, according to an email from principal Malcolm Norrington that sources provided to the Bay Area News Group.
As a result, the Gauchos are vacating wins against Amador Valley, Monterey Trail-Elk Grove, Oakland Tech, Campolindo and St. Mary’s-Berkeley. El Cerrito had also lost to De La Salle.
“The issue originated from a prior CIF: NCS bylaw 202 ruling regarding student ineligibility, which prompted a comprehensive review of the current varsity football roster,” Norrington’s email, dated to Friday, read. “Upon further review, it was determined that certain players were ineligible to participate in the games listed above.”
Norrington’s email concluded by saying that the school is “collaborating with district personnel to address these concerns and improve our enrollment procedures to prevent future occurrences.”
The email did not specify how many ineligible players participated in games.
El Cerrito’s record is now 1-6, as the East Bay school beat Salesian 28-7 on Saturday.
El Cerrito coach Jacob Rincon has not coached in a game since the Sept. 13 matchup at Oakland Tech.
Sources have told this news organization that Rincon has been placed on administrative leave.
No specific reason has been given by the West Contra Costa County Unified School District for why he is on leave. Defensive coordinator Tim Johnson is acting as the team’s interim coach.
Rincon, Norrington and the WCCUSD did not immediately respond when reached for comment on Saturday.
Since taking over as head coach in 2017, Rincon’s program has gone 33-1 against Tri-County Athletic League Rock Division opponents and reached a NorCal title game in each of the past two seasons.
El Cerrito is currently ranked No. 8 in the Bay Area News Group rankings and as the fifth-best team in the North Coast Section by Calpreps.