Ripon Christian High School granted temporary restraining order against Sac-Joaquin Section
Ripon Christian High School, whose football team was banned from postseason by the Sac-Joaquin Section earlier this year, was granted a temporary restraining order against section, potentially paving the way for the Knights to compete in postseason.
The ruling was made earlier this week in San Joaquin County Superior Court.
How the ruling impacts Ripon Christian and its playoff hopes is not immediately known.
The Sac-Joaquin Section on Thursday would not comment on the ruling.
The judge ordered the Section to appear in court on Nov. 4 “to attempt to provide any basis justifying its action and demonstrate why a preliminary injunction preventing enforcement of the sanctions should not remain in place while the legal proceedings play out.”
The timing of the court appearance could leave the section in a precarious spot.
The section plans to announce playoff pairings on Sunday, Oct. 31. Playoffs start Nov. 5.
The Knights (6-3, 3-2) are ranked second in the Division VII, according to CalPreps, which projects them to be among the top seeds. Eight teams compete in the Division VII playoffs.
The order keeps the Section from enforcing the postseason ban that came down earlier this year after Section Commissioner Mike Garrison put out a one-page press release, saying that Ripon Christian — along with Capital Christian of Sacramento, Stone Ridge Christian of Merced and Vacaville Christian, who also received similar sanctions — violated state safety and health standards tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and club teams said to be affiliated with the schools.
To be legal within section rules, club football teams must rent the facilities and equipment they use and cannot be associated with their school, which makes club football rare. In the initial ruling, Garrison said that the sanctioned programs did not separate from their schools, unlike other teams in California Association of Private Sports (CAPS) league played in February and March.
Ripon Christian all along has contended there was no direct affiliation.
“We are grateful to announce that on Tuesday, October 26, 2021, Ripon Christian High School was granted a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section by the San Joaquin County Courts with regard to the sanctions received July 29, 2021,” the school wrote in a news release.
The Knights (6-3, 3-2) are third in the Southern League and second in Division VII according to CalPreps, which projects them to be among the top seeds in the upcoming Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.
The Knights finish the regular season Friday, Oct. 28 on senior night, hosting Delhi (4-4, 2-4) at 7:15 p.m.
This story was originally published October 28, 2021 at 1:03 PM with the headline "Ripon Christian High School granted temporary restraining order against Sac-Joaquin Section."
