TheLounge
02-02-2007, 01:54 PM
The winter sports season is winding down and there hasn’t been better playoff races in recent memory. Soccer and basketball champs will be decided in the next couple of weeks and Central Coast Section berths handed out.
The Lounge is here to guide you through who has the best chance of winning conference titles, who will breeze into the post season and who will just scrape by.
Girls’ soccer
Ocean Division
While this division doesn’t get a lot of attention, it usually is one of the best playoff chases every year, usually coming down to the final week. This year is no exception. Three teams — Sequoia, South City and Westmoor — will battle for the top spot while Capuchino and Mills remain within striking distance.
Ocean champion: Sequoia. Other than a Feb. 6 matchup with second-place South City, the Cherokees have the easier schedule the last three games.
Wild card: Capuchino. The Mustangs are in fourth place but are dangerous. They play both first-place Sequoia and South City.
Who is in CCS: Whoever wins the division title
Who is on the bubble: Sequoia, South City, Westmoor. While the Ocean Division usually only gets the league champ into CCS, it’s conceivable two or three could make it this season. Combined, the three teams average 11 wins, 2.6 losses and 2.6 ties. It all depends on their power points.
Bay Division
Carlmont owns this division, but the pack gets closer every year. This division is all about jockeying for the best spots in CCS.
Bay champion: Carlmont. Scots will win their eighth straight division title but it won’t be a runaway. Burlingame is one win and a Scots loss away from taking the championship, but I don’t see that happening.
Wild card: Aragon. The Dons are quietly playing their best soccer of the season and still have games left against both Burlingame and Carlmont. A win over both would vault them to the top.
Who is in CCS: Carlmont, Burlingame. These two will finish one-two in the standings, earning automatic bids. Even if they did lose their final couple of games, their strength of schedule would easily get them in at large.
Who is on the bubble: Aragon, Terra Nova. These two will battle for the final automatic bid from the Bay Division. The Dons hold 2-point lead over the Tigers and face each other Feb. 6. The Dons have a brutal closing schedule with Burlingame, Terra Nova and Carlmont.
Boys’ soccer
Bay Division
This race will come down to the final week of the season. The new playoff structure —*the third through six-place teams will battle for the final automatic CCS berth with a four-team playoff —*keeps a lot more teams in the mix for CCS than in the past.
Bay champion: Burlingame. Clinched the title by virtue of the Panthers’ win over M-A, coupled with Carlmont’s loss to Half Moon Bay.
Wild card: None. Carlmont still has a shot at second place with a game against M-A Friday.
Who is in CCS: Burlingame, Carlmont, M-A. They’ve been too good all season long to be denied. All three have double-digit win totals and decent strength-of-schedule points.
Who is on the bubble: Hillsdale, Sequoia, Woodside. All three plus either Carlmont or M-A, will play for the division’s final automatic bid. If none of the first three win it, Hillsdale and Woodside would probably make it, considering they would have winning overall records.
Ocean Division
This division is Aragon’s to lose. Going into Wednesday’s games, the Dons had only one loss and held a 4-point lead over second place Terra Nova.
Ocean champion: Aragon. It’s amazing what winning does for a team’s confidence.
Wild card: Terra Nova, South City. Both are within striking distance of Aragon. Need to win out to win title.
Who is in CCS: Whoever wins the Ocean title.
Who is on the bubble: Aragon, Terra Nova, South City. Only the division champion gets an automatic bid. None of the three will have enough power points to qualify at large.
Girls’ basketball
South Division
This division breaks down easily. Going into Wednesday’s games, Menlo-Atherton was undefeated, Menlo had one loss and Carlmont had two. Barring any meltdowns down the stretch, all three qualify for the PAL playoffs.
South Champion: Menlo-Atherton. Once again, long-time coach Pam Wimberly has the Bears one of the top teams in the PAL. Going into Wednesday’s game against Menlo, the Bears haven’t loss since a 60-49 decision to East Bay power Monte Vista-Danville Dec. 29.
Wild card: Carlmont. The Scots face the two teams immediately in front of them in their next two games. One win probably vaults them into second. Win both and they could win the division.
Who is in CCS: M-A, Menlo and Carlmont.
Who is on the bubble: none.
Central Division
A four-way log jam heading into Wednesday’s action. Aragon, Burlingame, Capuchino and Mills all had 4-2 records. Three of the four qualify for the PAL playoffs and that probably won’t be determined until the final Friday of the season.
Central champion: Mills. The Vikings can’t get swept by Capuchino and San Mateo, can they?
Wild card: Aragon. The Dons struggled early in the season against stiff competition. They lost to Burlingame and Mills the first time around. Aragon gets both one more time.
Who is in CCS: Burlingame, Mills. No matter where these two finish in the standings, their overall records are more than enough to get them in at-large.
Who is on the bubble: Aragon, Capuchino. Both currently have sub-.500, overall records, making wins down the stretch important. Teams need at least .500 records to qualify for CCS. If either manages to win the division title, they would get an automatic bid.
North Division
Westmoor is head and shoulders above everyone else in the division. The Rams have won 40-straight North Division games in a row. Westmoor, Oceana and Terra Nova make PAL playoffs.
North Champion: Westmoor.
Wild card: None. No one is going to beat the Rams.
Who is in CCS: Westmoor, Oceana. The Rams are a no-brainer. The Sharks are perennial playoff participants. They probably won’t lose the until the PAL playoffs, giving them about 15, 16 wins, enough for CCS.
Who is on the bubble: Terra Nova. The Tigers are 4-2 in division play but still have games against Oceana and Westmoor. At 12-9 overall, a .500 record may not be enough to get into CCS.
Boys’ basketball
South Division
Menlo was undefeated heading into Wednesday’s games but the pack is catching up. The Knights beat Carlmont by a point Friday. Menlo-Atherton and Carlmont still have a shot at catching them. All three qualify for PAL playoffs.
South champion: Menlo School. The Knights played a rugged non-league schedule and it’s paid off in division play.
Wild card: Menlo-Atherton. The Bears got blasted in their first meeting with Menlo. But with a bench full of players over 6-foot-6 they could finally use it to their advantage.
Who is in CCS: Menlo School. The Knights could lose their final four games and still have no problem qualifying. They entered play Wednesday with only four losses this season.
Who is on the bubble: Carlmont, Menlo-Atherton. Both should get in regardless of what happens over the next two weeks. They want to finish strong to present best possible front to CCS.
Central Division
Probably the most competitive of the three divisions. Hillsdale, Burlingame and Mills have risen to the top and all three qualify for the PAL tournament. Division champ, however, is still in the air.
Central champion: Hillsdale. The Knights faced Mills Wednesday, who which beat the Knights the first time around. They still have Burlingame looming on the schedule, but behind the play of Eddie Attaway, they send retiring coach Randy Metheany out with a division title.
Wild card: Burlingame. Four-time defending champion, don’t expect the Panthers to go down without a fight.
Who is in CCS: Hillsdale, Mills. Both could finish with nearly 20 wins this season. Even if they hit a slump down the stretch, overall record gets them in.
Who is on the bubble: Burlingame, Aragon. I’m not too worried about the Panthers although a prolonged losing streak would drop their record nearer to .500 than they would like. The Dons, on the other hand, need to win at least three of their last four for consideration.
Nathan Mollat can be reached by e-mail: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 117. What do you think of this column? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.
The Lounge is here to guide you through who has the best chance of winning conference titles, who will breeze into the post season and who will just scrape by.
Girls’ soccer
Ocean Division
While this division doesn’t get a lot of attention, it usually is one of the best playoff chases every year, usually coming down to the final week. This year is no exception. Three teams — Sequoia, South City and Westmoor — will battle for the top spot while Capuchino and Mills remain within striking distance.
Ocean champion: Sequoia. Other than a Feb. 6 matchup with second-place South City, the Cherokees have the easier schedule the last three games.
Wild card: Capuchino. The Mustangs are in fourth place but are dangerous. They play both first-place Sequoia and South City.
Who is in CCS: Whoever wins the division title
Who is on the bubble: Sequoia, South City, Westmoor. While the Ocean Division usually only gets the league champ into CCS, it’s conceivable two or three could make it this season. Combined, the three teams average 11 wins, 2.6 losses and 2.6 ties. It all depends on their power points.
Bay Division
Carlmont owns this division, but the pack gets closer every year. This division is all about jockeying for the best spots in CCS.
Bay champion: Carlmont. Scots will win their eighth straight division title but it won’t be a runaway. Burlingame is one win and a Scots loss away from taking the championship, but I don’t see that happening.
Wild card: Aragon. The Dons are quietly playing their best soccer of the season and still have games left against both Burlingame and Carlmont. A win over both would vault them to the top.
Who is in CCS: Carlmont, Burlingame. These two will finish one-two in the standings, earning automatic bids. Even if they did lose their final couple of games, their strength of schedule would easily get them in at large.
Who is on the bubble: Aragon, Terra Nova. These two will battle for the final automatic bid from the Bay Division. The Dons hold 2-point lead over the Tigers and face each other Feb. 6. The Dons have a brutal closing schedule with Burlingame, Terra Nova and Carlmont.
Boys’ soccer
Bay Division
This race will come down to the final week of the season. The new playoff structure —*the third through six-place teams will battle for the final automatic CCS berth with a four-team playoff —*keeps a lot more teams in the mix for CCS than in the past.
Bay champion: Burlingame. Clinched the title by virtue of the Panthers’ win over M-A, coupled with Carlmont’s loss to Half Moon Bay.
Wild card: None. Carlmont still has a shot at second place with a game against M-A Friday.
Who is in CCS: Burlingame, Carlmont, M-A. They’ve been too good all season long to be denied. All three have double-digit win totals and decent strength-of-schedule points.
Who is on the bubble: Hillsdale, Sequoia, Woodside. All three plus either Carlmont or M-A, will play for the division’s final automatic bid. If none of the first three win it, Hillsdale and Woodside would probably make it, considering they would have winning overall records.
Ocean Division
This division is Aragon’s to lose. Going into Wednesday’s games, the Dons had only one loss and held a 4-point lead over second place Terra Nova.
Ocean champion: Aragon. It’s amazing what winning does for a team’s confidence.
Wild card: Terra Nova, South City. Both are within striking distance of Aragon. Need to win out to win title.
Who is in CCS: Whoever wins the Ocean title.
Who is on the bubble: Aragon, Terra Nova, South City. Only the division champion gets an automatic bid. None of the three will have enough power points to qualify at large.
Girls’ basketball
South Division
This division breaks down easily. Going into Wednesday’s games, Menlo-Atherton was undefeated, Menlo had one loss and Carlmont had two. Barring any meltdowns down the stretch, all three qualify for the PAL playoffs.
South Champion: Menlo-Atherton. Once again, long-time coach Pam Wimberly has the Bears one of the top teams in the PAL. Going into Wednesday’s game against Menlo, the Bears haven’t loss since a 60-49 decision to East Bay power Monte Vista-Danville Dec. 29.
Wild card: Carlmont. The Scots face the two teams immediately in front of them in their next two games. One win probably vaults them into second. Win both and they could win the division.
Who is in CCS: M-A, Menlo and Carlmont.
Who is on the bubble: none.
Central Division
A four-way log jam heading into Wednesday’s action. Aragon, Burlingame, Capuchino and Mills all had 4-2 records. Three of the four qualify for the PAL playoffs and that probably won’t be determined until the final Friday of the season.
Central champion: Mills. The Vikings can’t get swept by Capuchino and San Mateo, can they?
Wild card: Aragon. The Dons struggled early in the season against stiff competition. They lost to Burlingame and Mills the first time around. Aragon gets both one more time.
Who is in CCS: Burlingame, Mills. No matter where these two finish in the standings, their overall records are more than enough to get them in at-large.
Who is on the bubble: Aragon, Capuchino. Both currently have sub-.500, overall records, making wins down the stretch important. Teams need at least .500 records to qualify for CCS. If either manages to win the division title, they would get an automatic bid.
North Division
Westmoor is head and shoulders above everyone else in the division. The Rams have won 40-straight North Division games in a row. Westmoor, Oceana and Terra Nova make PAL playoffs.
North Champion: Westmoor.
Wild card: None. No one is going to beat the Rams.
Who is in CCS: Westmoor, Oceana. The Rams are a no-brainer. The Sharks are perennial playoff participants. They probably won’t lose the until the PAL playoffs, giving them about 15, 16 wins, enough for CCS.
Who is on the bubble: Terra Nova. The Tigers are 4-2 in division play but still have games against Oceana and Westmoor. At 12-9 overall, a .500 record may not be enough to get into CCS.
Boys’ basketball
South Division
Menlo was undefeated heading into Wednesday’s games but the pack is catching up. The Knights beat Carlmont by a point Friday. Menlo-Atherton and Carlmont still have a shot at catching them. All three qualify for PAL playoffs.
South champion: Menlo School. The Knights played a rugged non-league schedule and it’s paid off in division play.
Wild card: Menlo-Atherton. The Bears got blasted in their first meeting with Menlo. But with a bench full of players over 6-foot-6 they could finally use it to their advantage.
Who is in CCS: Menlo School. The Knights could lose their final four games and still have no problem qualifying. They entered play Wednesday with only four losses this season.
Who is on the bubble: Carlmont, Menlo-Atherton. Both should get in regardless of what happens over the next two weeks. They want to finish strong to present best possible front to CCS.
Central Division
Probably the most competitive of the three divisions. Hillsdale, Burlingame and Mills have risen to the top and all three qualify for the PAL tournament. Division champ, however, is still in the air.
Central champion: Hillsdale. The Knights faced Mills Wednesday, who which beat the Knights the first time around. They still have Burlingame looming on the schedule, but behind the play of Eddie Attaway, they send retiring coach Randy Metheany out with a division title.
Wild card: Burlingame. Four-time defending champion, don’t expect the Panthers to go down without a fight.
Who is in CCS: Hillsdale, Mills. Both could finish with nearly 20 wins this season. Even if they hit a slump down the stretch, overall record gets them in.
Who is on the bubble: Burlingame, Aragon. I’m not too worried about the Panthers although a prolonged losing streak would drop their record nearer to .500 than they would like. The Dons, on the other hand, need to win at least three of their last four for consideration.
Nathan Mollat can be reached by e-mail: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 117. What do you think of this column? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.