Officials Strip California High School Basketball Team of Championship Following Tortilla Throwing incident at Latino Opponents

After tortillas were thrown at an opposing team composed mostly of Latinos, officials announced Wednesday that a majority-white high school basketball team had been stripped of its regional title following the tortilla incident last month during the championship game.

The Federation's Decision

According to CBS Sports, the California Interscholastic Federation stated that they made the decision after their thorough review and analysis of the incident that happened during the Division 4-A regional basketball championship game between Orange Glen High School and Coronado High School. In the news release, the state executive director reiterated that the discriminatory and racially insensitive behaviors shown by the team toward an opponent contradict the principles of education-based athletics.

Based on the news release, after they investigated the incident, the federation decided that the 2021 Southern California Boys Basketball Division 4-A Regional Championship should be vacated.

The predominantly Latino team of Orange Glen High School lost the championship game on June 19 against the mostly white Coronado High School. Based on witnesses and video footage, after the game between the two schools, some members of the Coronado crowd threw tortillas at the opposing team's athletes, which prompted several heated disputes on the basketball court.

Moreover, the federation further sanctioned the basketball team of Coronado High School and mentioned that they would be placing the team members on probation through the end of the 2024 school year. Even the team and its athletic staff are also required to complete a sportsmanship workshop. The workshop includes training on racial and cultural sensitivity.

Furthermore, the news release stated that after the federation's investigation, there is no doubt the act of throwing tortillas at a predominately Latino team is unacceptable and warrants sanctions. The California Interscholastic Federation also emphasized that the path towards real change comes with developing empathy for those on the receiving end of this type of degrading and demeaning behavior, no matter the proffered intent of that behavior.

The federation also encouraged teams from both competing schools to complete community-based service projects based on restorative justice.

Meanwhile, the Unified School Board of Coronado voted unanimously to fire the schools' basketball coach, JD Laaperi, on June 24 for the tortilla throwing incident but did not hold any other students accountable, CBS Los Angeles reported.

However, the coach responded in a statement and called the incident racist and said that he was not aware of any coordinated plan to throw the tortillas.

Laaperi stated during the night of the game that, unfortunately, a community member brought tortillas and distributed them, which was unacceptable and racist. He also added that he did not condone the behavior and clarified that the Coronado High School also did not condone this behavior and was already taking appropriate action.

On the other hand, last month, the Escondido School Board, the body which manages Orange Glen High School, unanimously approved a resolution denouncing racism and discrimination after the basketball clash between the two schools.

Based on the resolution, the board affirms the district's support for equity, safety, and the well-being of all students. The resolution also stated that the board pledges to fight racism in all forms to dismantle practices that limit opportunities for students to receive a safe and high-quality education, CNN reported.

WATCH: CIF strips Coronado High School of championship title following tortilla-throwing incident - CBS 8 San Diego