TheLounge
02-21-2007, 02:49 PM
The Central Coast Section basketball pairings were announced Sunday and as usual, San Mateo County teams, specifically the Peninsula Athletic League, is well represented. The county, in general, got 27 teams into playoffs, with the PAL garnering 20 of those spots.“I think [the PAL] ranks fairly high,” said Carlmont girls’ head coach Irene Oliveira. “We’re well respected around the area by other coaches.”
The Lady Scots earned the highest amount of respect by getting the No. 1 seed in Division I and a first-round bye.
“It was awesome. It was really cool. It was incredible we got it,” Oliveira said. “I thought we would get No. 2. We lost head-to-head to Milpitas (the defending Division I champ) but they dropped off late in the season.”
I have to admit, I was shocked to see the Scots as the top seed. But on closer inspection, it would have been hard not to give them the No. 1 slot. Their 17-8 record was the second best in the division (No. 4 North Salinas had the best record at 21-4). Then, take a look at who the Scots played. They were 6-7 against CCS teams and of those seven losses, three came against Menlo-Atherton (which is the No. 6 seed in Division II), two came against Menlo School (which is No. 4 in Division IV) and one against Burlingame (No. 3 in Division III).
Of the Scots’ wins, they beat three teams that are in the Division I tournament —*No. 3 Santa Teresa, No. 9 Homestead and No. 12 Monta Vista. They also have a win over Wilcox (No. 4 Division III), Westmoor (No. 3 Division II) and Del Mar (No. 14 Division III).
***
While the Carlmont girls got the highest seed of all county teams, the rest didn’t do too shabby either. Of the 10 PAL boys’ teams to qualify, six teams earned seeds of seven or higher. The girls did even better. Of the 10 PAL teams, eight had seeds of seven or better.
Menlo School is the highest ranked PAL team, getting the No. 2 seed in Division IV. The Mills girls earned the No. 2 seed in Division II.
And let’s not forget the private schools in the county. Serra is the No. 2 seed in Division II, Sacred Heart Prep boys are No. 2 in Division V and the Woodside Priory boys are the top seed in Division V. On the girls side, despite a 9-17 overall record, Notre Dame-Belmont earned the No. 5 seed in Division III. That ranking is based largely on the fact that it plays in the West Catholic Athletic League, which features Mitty (No. 1 Division II), Sacred Heart Cathedral (No. 1 Division III) and St. Ignatius (No. 2 Division III). The Sacred Heart Prep girls also qualified for the Division V field. The Gators also came out of the WCAL, hence their No. 3 seed despite a 10-16 record.
And just for the record, a team needed to have a .500 mark in either league play or non-league play.
***
The CCS soccer playoffs are down to the final four in five divisions and while there are no more local boys’ teams left, there are three teams left on the girls’ side —*No. 3 Carlmont in Division I, No. 6 Aragon in Division II and No. 4 Woodside Priory in Division III.
The Division II and III format are straightforward, the Division I semis are a bit of a head scratcher. The way tournaments are usually set up, No. 1 plays No. 4 and No. 2 faces No. 3 — assuming those four teams make it. In Division I, third-seeded Carlmont faces No. 1 Los Altos while No. 2 Santa Teresa plays No. 4 Monta Vista.
Carlmont coach Jim Kelly said the reason behind the shakeup is the champion and runner-up of the same league can not face each other in the quarterfinals, which is what would have happened. Monta Vista was, apparently, originally the No. 4 team but that would have meant they played top-seeded Los Altos — the top two teams from the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League’s DeAnza Division.
To remedy the situation, CCS flip-flopped Carlmont’s and Monta Vista’s seedings.
“It sounded legit when they explained it (to me),” said Carlmont coach Jim Kelly.
Kelly said he didn’t have a problem with the change, figuring his two-time defending champion Scots would have to face Los Altos (14-1-5) at some point anyway.
“Put it this way. Someone is going to face Los Altos in the semis or the finals,” Kelly said. “So bring them on.”
***
I know we’ve had some, ahem, issues about officiating in the past —*including most recently Emanuel Lee’s column two weeks ago.
I’ve said countless times, most officials are good, well-meaning people who have to be given credit for giving up their free time to endure the abuse of players, coaches and fans.
But when I see something as egregiously bad from officials, I have to call them out. First, let me preface this by saying that I have played, watched and reported on soccer for about 28 years, so I consider myself very knowledgeable on the game, if not an expert.
That’s why I feel comfortable in saying the three officials in the Carlmont-Piedmont Hills girls’ CCS soccer game Saturday were the worst I have ever seen — in any sport, at any level.
Most coaches and players just want officials to be consistent —*good or bad. The most glaring error Saturday —*Carlmont was awarded a free kick. It deflected off a wall of Piedmont Hills players and out of bounds for what should have been clearly a corner kick. A goal kick was awarded.
All game long, the officials had a hard time deciding which team should be awarded throw ins, who pushed who and just a general lack of soccer acumen.
So let me first apologize to the officials for my comments. If I could, I would be out there officiating games. I just so happen to be in a profession that doesn’t allow me to give my time. Also, I want to say to the CCS brass this is no way a reflection on them. I know CCS gets ripped by fans, schools and the media and a lot of it is unwarranted.
However, the truth sometimes hurts.
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 Lady Scots earned the highest amount of respect by getting the No. 1 seed in Division I and a first-round bye.
“It was awesome. It was really cool. It was incredible we got it,” Oliveira said. “I thought we would get No. 2. We lost head-to-head to Milpitas (the defending Division I champ) but they dropped off late in the season.”
I have to admit, I was shocked to see the Scots as the top seed. But on closer inspection, it would have been hard not to give them the No. 1 slot. Their 17-8 record was the second best in the division (No. 4 North Salinas had the best record at 21-4). Then, take a look at who the Scots played. They were 6-7 against CCS teams and of those seven losses, three came against Menlo-Atherton (which is the No. 6 seed in Division II), two came against Menlo School (which is No. 4 in Division IV) and one against Burlingame (No. 3 in Division III).
Of the Scots’ wins, they beat three teams that are in the Division I tournament —*No. 3 Santa Teresa, No. 9 Homestead and No. 12 Monta Vista. They also have a win over Wilcox (No. 4 Division III), Westmoor (No. 3 Division II) and Del Mar (No. 14 Division III).
***
While the Carlmont girls got the highest seed of all county teams, the rest didn’t do too shabby either. Of the 10 PAL boys’ teams to qualify, six teams earned seeds of seven or higher. The girls did even better. Of the 10 PAL teams, eight had seeds of seven or better.
Menlo School is the highest ranked PAL team, getting the No. 2 seed in Division IV. The Mills girls earned the No. 2 seed in Division II.
And let’s not forget the private schools in the county. Serra is the No. 2 seed in Division II, Sacred Heart Prep boys are No. 2 in Division V and the Woodside Priory boys are the top seed in Division V. On the girls side, despite a 9-17 overall record, Notre Dame-Belmont earned the No. 5 seed in Division III. That ranking is based largely on the fact that it plays in the West Catholic Athletic League, which features Mitty (No. 1 Division II), Sacred Heart Cathedral (No. 1 Division III) and St. Ignatius (No. 2 Division III). The Sacred Heart Prep girls also qualified for the Division V field. The Gators also came out of the WCAL, hence their No. 3 seed despite a 10-16 record.
And just for the record, a team needed to have a .500 mark in either league play or non-league play.
***
The CCS soccer playoffs are down to the final four in five divisions and while there are no more local boys’ teams left, there are three teams left on the girls’ side —*No. 3 Carlmont in Division I, No. 6 Aragon in Division II and No. 4 Woodside Priory in Division III.
The Division II and III format are straightforward, the Division I semis are a bit of a head scratcher. The way tournaments are usually set up, No. 1 plays No. 4 and No. 2 faces No. 3 — assuming those four teams make it. In Division I, third-seeded Carlmont faces No. 1 Los Altos while No. 2 Santa Teresa plays No. 4 Monta Vista.
Carlmont coach Jim Kelly said the reason behind the shakeup is the champion and runner-up of the same league can not face each other in the quarterfinals, which is what would have happened. Monta Vista was, apparently, originally the No. 4 team but that would have meant they played top-seeded Los Altos — the top two teams from the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League’s DeAnza Division.
To remedy the situation, CCS flip-flopped Carlmont’s and Monta Vista’s seedings.
“It sounded legit when they explained it (to me),” said Carlmont coach Jim Kelly.
Kelly said he didn’t have a problem with the change, figuring his two-time defending champion Scots would have to face Los Altos (14-1-5) at some point anyway.
“Put it this way. Someone is going to face Los Altos in the semis or the finals,” Kelly said. “So bring them on.”
***
I know we’ve had some, ahem, issues about officiating in the past —*including most recently Emanuel Lee’s column two weeks ago.
I’ve said countless times, most officials are good, well-meaning people who have to be given credit for giving up their free time to endure the abuse of players, coaches and fans.
But when I see something as egregiously bad from officials, I have to call them out. First, let me preface this by saying that I have played, watched and reported on soccer for about 28 years, so I consider myself very knowledgeable on the game, if not an expert.
That’s why I feel comfortable in saying the three officials in the Carlmont-Piedmont Hills girls’ CCS soccer game Saturday were the worst I have ever seen — in any sport, at any level.
Most coaches and players just want officials to be consistent —*good or bad. The most glaring error Saturday —*Carlmont was awarded a free kick. It deflected off a wall of Piedmont Hills players and out of bounds for what should have been clearly a corner kick. A goal kick was awarded.
All game long, the officials had a hard time deciding which team should be awarded throw ins, who pushed who and just a general lack of soccer acumen.
So let me first apologize to the officials for my comments. If I could, I would be out there officiating games. I just so happen to be in a profession that doesn’t allow me to give my time. Also, I want to say to the CCS brass this is no way a reflection on them. I know CCS gets ripped by fans, schools and the media and a lot of it is unwarranted.
However, the truth sometimes hurts.
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.