TheLounge
10-29-2007, 01:37 PM
There is going to be somewhat dramatic change in the Peninsula Athletic League football landscape beginning next year. The Sacred Heart Prep and King’s Academy football programs are joining the PAL as both schools transistion from North Coast Section teams to Central Coast Section squads.
Not only does it bring the PAL to 18 teams, it also opens up a possibility of a mini-playoff system to determine CCS berths.
While the PAL wasn’t thrilled with the move, they did receive an incentive from CCS: It awarded the league an extra CCS playoff berth, pushing the total number to five. Now the question is: How will 18 teams be split and what to do with that extra berth?
The immediate choice would be a 6-team Bay, 6-team Ocean and 6-team Lake division. The Bay would still receive three CCS berths and the Ocean would get one. Does the league give the last coveted spot to the Lake Division winner, arguably the 13th-best team in the PAL?
There would also be a concern about teams that, instead of trying to climb the ranks, would actually try to move down and capture the Lake Division title —*the weakest of the three division.
Or, as PAL commissioner Terry Stogner suggested, do you give four CCS spots to the Bay and then have the Ocean and Lake winners battle for the final CCS berth? The divisions would be split 6-12, with the 12-team league divided into two equal subdivisions. On the second-to-last week of the year, the top teams from each division would play for the final CCS spot. The rest of the league would play cross-over games with the team directly across from it in the division standings. The rivalry games would stay intact on the final week of the season.
Once a format is choosen, how do you split up the teams? Once you start looking into it, some difficult choices have to be made. Here is my mock breakdown of what the divisions could look like if the PAL decides on the three, 6-team division with a 3-1-1 CCS berth distribution. (in alphabetical order):
Bay
Aragon — Still cream of the crop
El Camino — One of the biggest turnarounds in 2007
Terra Nova — Rebounded this season, still can beat anyone any given day
Menlo-Atherton — two straight years of massive improvement
Menlo School — proved they can play in the Bay
Woodside — Will be better with age
Note: El Camino moves up or SSF moves down based on rivalry game. But based on the Colts finish in league this year, El Camino deserves to move up, although a look at the Colts senior-heavy 2007 roster suggests a rebuilding effort next year.
Ocean
Burlingame — the Panthers’ defense alone nearly keeps them in the Bay Division.
Capuchino — Perennial contender for promotion
Half Moon Bay — Always solid.
Mills — Fair amount of success over the last six years in Ocean Division play
Sacred Heart Prep — Gators have success against Ocean Division teams in non-league for several years
Sequoia — Proved they can win consistently in the Ocean last 2 1/2 years
South San Francisco — See Burlingame
Note: Mills or HMB would move down to Lake depending on the 2007 final Ocean Division standings.
Lake
Carlmont — Strictly based on performance in the Bay in 2007
Hillsdale — Keeps teasing about what could be
Jefferson — Always looks good on paper in the preseason
Kings Academy — has very little history with the PAL, although they play toe-to-toe with Sacred Heart Prep, they have to earn promotion
San Mateo — Looks to have some nice, young pieces for a run the next couple years
Note: Hillsdale or San Mateo could move up depending on how they finish this year.
In the other scenario, the 12 teams not in the Bay Division would be randomly assigned into two sub-division with the top finishers battling for the last CCS berth.
Version 2 would definitely be better for the league but Version 1 is a lot more fun to discuss.
***
It doesn’t get a lot of coverage but the PAL’s girls’ golf title came down to the final match of the season. Monday, Menlo School beat Burlingame 206-211 to earn an automatic berth to the Central Coast Section tournament.
The Knights and Panthers finished as Peninsula Athletic League co-champions based on 11-2 league records. The Knights, however, handed Burlingame both of its league losses.
Today, the PAL Championships and CCS Qualifier tees off at 10 a.m. at Poplar Creek in San Mateo. There’s been a change in the CCS rules, however, that gives all players —*and schools — a shot at making the CCS tournament.
If an individual shoots a 93 or better over the 18-hole course, they make CCS. If a team averages 93 among their top four scores, that team qualifies for CCS.
Aragon coach Guy Oling said previously only the top three teams qualified for CCS. Oling said an incident a couple years ago led to the change. A Santa Catalina team failed to advance as team but qualified for individuals. At the CCS tournament, if those four individuals were in the team competition, they would have won. The ruling rewards players and teams that can get hot at the right time.
“I’m OK with it,” Oling said of the changes.
Shooting a 93 at Poplar Creek is no easy accomplishment for the average high school golfer. The top scores coming in will be in the 68-73 range and there will be plenty of interesting story lines. Aragon’s Candice Nishimura will try to win a PAL crown that escaped her last season. In 2006, she advanced to a sudden-death playoff with Menlo’s Michele Torosis which Torosis won on the second hole.
To put that 93 score in perspective, both Nishimura and Torosis finished their rounds with 84s.
Others to watch out for include Burlingame’s Emma Anders, the Panthers’ No. 1 her entire high school career. She’s finished with an 86 in last year’s PAL championships and should be in the mix this year.
Menlo School’s Jessie Zhou will try to give the Knights their second-straight PAL champ. Los Gatos’ Shea Robinson returns for the second straight year and will also be a threat.
Also expected to play is Palo Alto sophomore Alexandra Grotesma, who was low-medalist last year with a 1-over 72. She uses the tournament as a CCS qualifier and does not figure into the PAL race.
SHP, Kings Academy football in PAL
what happened boths chools applied for 2008, BOM (18 princ.) denied entrery. That was appealed goers to CCS executive board - 11 people who overseel CCS BOM. they heard the appeal from btoh schoolks, they got the PAL story for reasons for denial.
they overtunred the PAL decision. Placed both schools into PAL. no apperal provcess on this, will playu next year
How do we re-align ourselves. I think it would pop. to go 6-6-6, the 13th place team goes to CCS.
the CCS said at that meeting, they would give us add. auto qualifier, which means we have 5. at the poresent, 3 in the BGay, 1 in the OCean, taht could go 3-1-1 or revert back to plan of what we had 6 bay and 10 in the Ocean and go 6 Bay 12 Ocean
4 berths in Bay, Ocean would stil get one. that will be left up to the coaches.
problem before - there were six solid teams in the bay adn the floaters. thats what were trying to avoid. If we went to 6-10, there would be just one jump that would be political
If oyu 6-6-6, then youd have people who might want to go to the lower
discussed Nov. 19, ake 10 teams and pull them 1, 2; 1,2
No. 1 from both divisions would be playoff. the feedback i got was to 6-6-6, but if all of sudden that fourth berth became polictal football.
once placed, you belong
Division breakups: All based on this year’s varsity season, not accounting for frosh-soph success or what next year brings.
Nathan Mollat can be reached by e-mail: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 117.
Guy Oling
in the past, teams can get 3 at-larges, now its open
ind. 93.6 ccs says you cant round up, anyone scoring CCS as an infividal can go.
As a team, if you avg. 93, new this year
Im ok weith it. The thing that happned, Santa Catalina didnt win their league but had four ind. qualify for CCS. all 4 as ind. scored better than teams did.
playing from the golds, not the women’s tee.
Not only does it bring the PAL to 18 teams, it also opens up a possibility of a mini-playoff system to determine CCS berths.
While the PAL wasn’t thrilled with the move, they did receive an incentive from CCS: It awarded the league an extra CCS playoff berth, pushing the total number to five. Now the question is: How will 18 teams be split and what to do with that extra berth?
The immediate choice would be a 6-team Bay, 6-team Ocean and 6-team Lake division. The Bay would still receive three CCS berths and the Ocean would get one. Does the league give the last coveted spot to the Lake Division winner, arguably the 13th-best team in the PAL?
There would also be a concern about teams that, instead of trying to climb the ranks, would actually try to move down and capture the Lake Division title —*the weakest of the three division.
Or, as PAL commissioner Terry Stogner suggested, do you give four CCS spots to the Bay and then have the Ocean and Lake winners battle for the final CCS berth? The divisions would be split 6-12, with the 12-team league divided into two equal subdivisions. On the second-to-last week of the year, the top teams from each division would play for the final CCS spot. The rest of the league would play cross-over games with the team directly across from it in the division standings. The rivalry games would stay intact on the final week of the season.
Once a format is choosen, how do you split up the teams? Once you start looking into it, some difficult choices have to be made. Here is my mock breakdown of what the divisions could look like if the PAL decides on the three, 6-team division with a 3-1-1 CCS berth distribution. (in alphabetical order):
Bay
Aragon — Still cream of the crop
El Camino — One of the biggest turnarounds in 2007
Terra Nova — Rebounded this season, still can beat anyone any given day
Menlo-Atherton — two straight years of massive improvement
Menlo School — proved they can play in the Bay
Woodside — Will be better with age
Note: El Camino moves up or SSF moves down based on rivalry game. But based on the Colts finish in league this year, El Camino deserves to move up, although a look at the Colts senior-heavy 2007 roster suggests a rebuilding effort next year.
Ocean
Burlingame — the Panthers’ defense alone nearly keeps them in the Bay Division.
Capuchino — Perennial contender for promotion
Half Moon Bay — Always solid.
Mills — Fair amount of success over the last six years in Ocean Division play
Sacred Heart Prep — Gators have success against Ocean Division teams in non-league for several years
Sequoia — Proved they can win consistently in the Ocean last 2 1/2 years
South San Francisco — See Burlingame
Note: Mills or HMB would move down to Lake depending on the 2007 final Ocean Division standings.
Lake
Carlmont — Strictly based on performance in the Bay in 2007
Hillsdale — Keeps teasing about what could be
Jefferson — Always looks good on paper in the preseason
Kings Academy — has very little history with the PAL, although they play toe-to-toe with Sacred Heart Prep, they have to earn promotion
San Mateo — Looks to have some nice, young pieces for a run the next couple years
Note: Hillsdale or San Mateo could move up depending on how they finish this year.
In the other scenario, the 12 teams not in the Bay Division would be randomly assigned into two sub-division with the top finishers battling for the last CCS berth.
Version 2 would definitely be better for the league but Version 1 is a lot more fun to discuss.
***
It doesn’t get a lot of coverage but the PAL’s girls’ golf title came down to the final match of the season. Monday, Menlo School beat Burlingame 206-211 to earn an automatic berth to the Central Coast Section tournament.
The Knights and Panthers finished as Peninsula Athletic League co-champions based on 11-2 league records. The Knights, however, handed Burlingame both of its league losses.
Today, the PAL Championships and CCS Qualifier tees off at 10 a.m. at Poplar Creek in San Mateo. There’s been a change in the CCS rules, however, that gives all players —*and schools — a shot at making the CCS tournament.
If an individual shoots a 93 or better over the 18-hole course, they make CCS. If a team averages 93 among their top four scores, that team qualifies for CCS.
Aragon coach Guy Oling said previously only the top three teams qualified for CCS. Oling said an incident a couple years ago led to the change. A Santa Catalina team failed to advance as team but qualified for individuals. At the CCS tournament, if those four individuals were in the team competition, they would have won. The ruling rewards players and teams that can get hot at the right time.
“I’m OK with it,” Oling said of the changes.
Shooting a 93 at Poplar Creek is no easy accomplishment for the average high school golfer. The top scores coming in will be in the 68-73 range and there will be plenty of interesting story lines. Aragon’s Candice Nishimura will try to win a PAL crown that escaped her last season. In 2006, she advanced to a sudden-death playoff with Menlo’s Michele Torosis which Torosis won on the second hole.
To put that 93 score in perspective, both Nishimura and Torosis finished their rounds with 84s.
Others to watch out for include Burlingame’s Emma Anders, the Panthers’ No. 1 her entire high school career. She’s finished with an 86 in last year’s PAL championships and should be in the mix this year.
Menlo School’s Jessie Zhou will try to give the Knights their second-straight PAL champ. Los Gatos’ Shea Robinson returns for the second straight year and will also be a threat.
Also expected to play is Palo Alto sophomore Alexandra Grotesma, who was low-medalist last year with a 1-over 72. She uses the tournament as a CCS qualifier and does not figure into the PAL race.
SHP, Kings Academy football in PAL
what happened boths chools applied for 2008, BOM (18 princ.) denied entrery. That was appealed goers to CCS executive board - 11 people who overseel CCS BOM. they heard the appeal from btoh schoolks, they got the PAL story for reasons for denial.
they overtunred the PAL decision. Placed both schools into PAL. no apperal provcess on this, will playu next year
How do we re-align ourselves. I think it would pop. to go 6-6-6, the 13th place team goes to CCS.
the CCS said at that meeting, they would give us add. auto qualifier, which means we have 5. at the poresent, 3 in the BGay, 1 in the OCean, taht could go 3-1-1 or revert back to plan of what we had 6 bay and 10 in the Ocean and go 6 Bay 12 Ocean
4 berths in Bay, Ocean would stil get one. that will be left up to the coaches.
problem before - there were six solid teams in the bay adn the floaters. thats what were trying to avoid. If we went to 6-10, there would be just one jump that would be political
If oyu 6-6-6, then youd have people who might want to go to the lower
discussed Nov. 19, ake 10 teams and pull them 1, 2; 1,2
No. 1 from both divisions would be playoff. the feedback i got was to 6-6-6, but if all of sudden that fourth berth became polictal football.
once placed, you belong
Division breakups: All based on this year’s varsity season, not accounting for frosh-soph success or what next year brings.
Nathan Mollat can be reached by e-mail: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 117.
Guy Oling
in the past, teams can get 3 at-larges, now its open
ind. 93.6 ccs says you cant round up, anyone scoring CCS as an infividal can go.
As a team, if you avg. 93, new this year
Im ok weith it. The thing that happned, Santa Catalina didnt win their league but had four ind. qualify for CCS. all 4 as ind. scored better than teams did.
playing from the golds, not the women’s tee.