El Cerrito High School football team banned from North Coast Section postseason

NCS rules that Gauchos' violation of 'several bylaws,' will eliminate them from the 2024 postseason while putting their athletic program on a two-year probation

On the field, El Cerrito has won eight of nine games, but with eligible players its record is 3-6 / Taylor Balkom

After self-reporting the use of several ineligible players, the El Cerrito football team forfeited five victories earlier this season.

Now the Gauchos have learned Friday's home game with De Anza will be their last in 2024.

North Coast Section commissioner Pat Cruickshank sent out an email Tuesday morning notifying El Cerrito that its athletic program has been placed on probation for two years due to violation of "several bylaws," and additionally ruled that the football team is ineligible for postseason competition for one year, including "the current 2024 season."

Among the violations, according to the NCS, were providing inaccurate information, undue influence, pre-enrollment contact and athletically motivated transfers. 

As first reported by the Bay Area Newspaper Group, football families were notified Monday by the West Contra Costa Unified School District that the Gauchos would likely be banned from NCS playoff action.

On Tuesday morning, Cruickshank confirmed the report in an email sent to the media.

The letter reads:

"The West Contra Costa Unified School District and El Cerrito High School reported to the CIF North Coast Section office that the football team and school personnel have violated several bylaws, including CIF/NCS Bylaw 202 (Accurate information), CIF/NCS Bylaw 202.B(5) (School personnel involvement), and CIF/NCS Bylaw 510 (Undue influence, Pre-Enrollment Contact), Disclosing Pre-Enrollment Contact, Athletically Motivated Transfers).

"As a result, the CIF North Coast Section has placed El Cerrito High School on probation for two years, ending with the 2025-26 school year. Additionally, the varsity football team is ineligible for post-season competition for one year, including the current 2024 season.

"The CIF North Coast Section emphasizes the importance of integrity and adherence to the rules by all student-athletes, and member schools."

El Cerrito has been a Bay Area powerhouse for decades under the late Frank Milo, George Austin, Kenny Kahn and most recently Jacob Rincon, who took over the program in 2017. His teams went a combined 60-18 over seven seasons entering 2024, with back-to-back NCS titles in 2022 (Division 3) and 2023 (D2).

The team started the 2024 season 5-1 with its only loss, 35-14 to state No. 5 De La Salle-Concord, but self reported violations to NCS, which came weeks after BANG reported Rincoln was placed on administrative leave.

That dropped El Cerrito's record to 0-6 but since then, the Gauchos, presumedly with only eligible players, they have won three Tri-County Rock Division games by a combined score of 118-7.

Teams with .500 records or above in league are eligible for NCS playoffs and with the Gauchos still rated No. 6 in the MaxPreps NCS computer rankings — which helps seed the NCS playoffs and doesn't take forfeits into account — their playoff chances appeared more than secure.

But Tuesday's ruling negates that possibility,

Interim head coach Tim Johnson told BANG on Monday when informed the probability his team would be banned: "Our student athletes use football as a source where dreams and goals are reached. We're letting adults dictate the lives of our players that most of them have no relationship with them, which I feel is unjust. ... Now they've been robbed of the opportunity to compete, which is disheartening."