San Clemente Football 'Crisis' Focus of Monday Night Forum

principal George Duarte and Joseph Farley, superintendent of the , are set to meet the public Monday at 6:30 p.m. in the school’s Triton Center to answer questions about the recent change in leadership of the Tritons’ football program.

Last week, Eric Patton was removed from his head coaching position at San Clemente after 11 seasons and replaced, at least on an interim basis, by athletic director and offensive line coach Jon Hamro.

Patton has been a focus of school district and into alleged kickbacks to Orange County coaches by a Laguna Hills sports equipment and apparel store that went out of business in 2008.

“We have all gone through a pretty shocking crisis,” Hamro told ESPN.LA last week. “When you go through a crisis, that suddenly becomes a common bond that none of you had prior.... I think the players are more focused, more on a mission and more unified than I’ve seen in 20 years.”

Preview: San Clemente Has Tools for a Title Run

It is alleged that between 2000 and 2008, Lapes Athletic Team Sales overcharged for merchandise, then returned a portion of the excess— said to be nearly $700,000 of taxpayer money—to the coaches who placed the order or to someone the coaches designated to receive the funds as part of an alleged long-standing slush fund operation.

Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino told Patch in mid-June that an economic crimes expert had begun looking into the alleged kickbacks—prompted by a PBS SoCal "Real Orange" investigation in May—upon the request from Orange County Superintendent of Schools Bill Habermehl.

The allegations of the slush funds first came from Geoff and Teresa Sando of Irvine to “Real Orange.” The couple, who invested heavily in LAPES and eventually took over the company in a damage control capacity as it went under, discovered documents labeled “slush.”

One 2000 document, the Orange County Register reported, is a signed faxed note from Patton and “Triton Football” to LAPES and owner Bill Lapes requesting $500 payments be sent to three people, including a Ward Patton. Eric Patton has a son named Ward.

Voice of OC reported that Habermehl sent a letter in early June to Sheriff Sandra Hutchens, asking her to "thoroughly investigate" the allegations of wrongdoing and complete the investigation "as soon as possible."

The Sandos’ ledgers show that coaches from 29 high schools and colleges throughout Orange County—and many others beyond the county's border—were involved, but that schools in the CUSD had profited the most from the alleged slush fund.

Superintendent Farley told the Orange County Register last month that the initial findings of a nine-month, internal district investigation showed that LAPES may have overbilled the district for athletic supplies and then shared the excess cash with coaches who placed the orders.

"We believe there could have been criminal misconduct," Farley said. "The findings are significant enough that it merits being turned over to the Sheriff's Department."

CUSD refused to release any names of coaches being investigated, citing the confidentiality of personnel matters, but said no one has resigned from the district as a direct result of the investigation.

Principal Duarte informed San Clemente parents and students of the football coaching change in a letter dated Aug. 16., in which he wrote:

“As you may know, there has been recent publicity about the use of athletic funds at many Southern California high schools, including several in the Capistrano Unified School District. We are carefully reviewing our funding systems as a result of this publicity....

“Please know that school and district officials will maintain support for Triton football. Thank you for your support and patience as we move forward to resolve this situation.”

Duarte’s letter did not refer to either of the investigations, but neither did it mention Patton, whose San Clemente teams have posted a 97-44 record over 11 seasons, including an 8-3 mark last season.

Patton, who previously coached at Capistrano Valley High, presently remains an employee of the district. However, it is not known if he will teach or coach at San Clemente High this fall.

The Tritons enter the 2011 campaign behind highly touted quarterback Travis Wilson, who has committed to Utah, and left tackle Kyle Murphy, who is Southern California's top recruit with offers from nearly every Division 1 college.

San Clemente opens its season at home against Long Beach Cabrillo on Friday, Sept. 2.