TheLounge
11-14-2007, 12:35 PM
Apparently there is justice in this world. Last year, the Sacred Heart Prep football team finished in three-way tie for first place in Bay Football League. The Gators missed the playoffs on a coin flip.
Saturday, despite a 28-27 loss to King’s Academy, the Gators (8-2) not only won the BFL but earned the first football playoff berth in school history. Sacred Heart Prep is the No. 7 seed in the North Coast Section Class A playoff tournament. The Gators face a six-hour bus ride to face No. 2 Ferndale (9-1) at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Sacred Heart Prep coach Peter Lavorato will take a six-hour bus ride any day.
“All I care is we get to play one more game,” Lavorato said. “It’s nice to be in the playoffs. It’s only the third time eligible for the playoffs. The first two years, we were close. This year, we made it.”
The Gators earned their playoff spot, as well as BFL championship in a roundabout way. Sacred Heart Prep finished the regular season with two straight losses on the field — the loss to King’s Academy Saturday, which came on the heels of a 9-0 loss to Salesian the week before. Normally not the best way to finish the season.
The Gators learned last week, however, that the loss to Salesian turned into a forfeit win after it was discovered the Spirit used an illegal player in their win. Instead of a 7-2 mark and a 4-1 league record going into the game against King’s Academy, the Gators were 8-1 and in the mix for the BFL title. The loss dropped the Gators into a three-way tie —*again —*for the BFL title, but this time, Lavorato had luck on his side. In a preseason drawing of straws to determine the league champ in case of a tie, Lavorato drew stick No. 1.
“Last year, we did (the tiebreaker) at the end of the year,” Lavorato said.
The forfeit win over Salesian made the game against King’s Academy also a moot point. The fact the Gators held the tiebreaker factored into Lavorato’s decision to go for the win against the Knights. The Gators drove 80 yards and scored a touchdown to close to 28-27 with less than a minute to play in the game. Lavorato decided to go for the 2-point conversion and the win. The Gators came up short in the game, but it didn’t really matter.
“We had to make a decision to go for 1 or 2,” Lavorato said. “I would have kicked the extra point it would have meant a playoff spot. We knew we had it (a playoff spot) locked it up.”
Ironically, all three teams —*King’s Academy, Salesian and Sacred Heart Prep —*all made the Class A playoffs. Last year, only the Knights and Spirit made the postseason.
***
I don’t know if it was the fallout of the Sequoia-Half Moon Bay fiasco the previous week, but there appeared to be a lot more focus on sportsmanship and clean play this past weekend.
At the Menlo-Atherton-Woodside game Friday night in Redwood City, many Woodside supporters were walking around with “Honor the Game” stickers pasted on themselves. At the Little Big Game in San Mateo Saturday morning, there was a banner on the San Mateo side that encouraged, “Peace” and “Passion” at the game. During the Jefferson-Menlo School game Friday afternoon in Atherton, the officials were quick to quell any post-play aggression.
It’s was nice to see that everybody got the message that the ugliness that afflicted the Sequoia-Half Moon Bay game did not carry over the Rivalry Week.
At least I didn’t hear anything bad happening.
***
It was quite a weekend for a couple of former Peninsula Athletic League standouts.
Former Burlingame stud Drew Shiller got off to a quick start for the Stanford basketball team. After playing his freshman year at University of San Francisco, he sat out last season after transferring to Stanford. Over the weekend, Shiller led the Cardinal with 18 points against Harvard Friday and followed that with 15 against Northwestern State. He had six points against Santa Barbara Sunday. In three games, Shiller is second on the team in scoring, averaging 13 points per game.
When former Mills quarterback Adam Tafralis was a senior, he was being recruited by several colleges —*to be a linebacker. Tafralis, however, stuck to his guns of wanting to be a quarterback. That moxie paid off as Saturday Tafralis became the all-time yardage leader for San Jose State. Tafralis’ 7,363 yards of total offense broke the record of current Tampa Bay Buccaneer quarterback and former 49er Jeff Garcia.
Saturday, despite a 28-27 loss to King’s Academy, the Gators (8-2) not only won the BFL but earned the first football playoff berth in school history. Sacred Heart Prep is the No. 7 seed in the North Coast Section Class A playoff tournament. The Gators face a six-hour bus ride to face No. 2 Ferndale (9-1) at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Sacred Heart Prep coach Peter Lavorato will take a six-hour bus ride any day.
“All I care is we get to play one more game,” Lavorato said. “It’s nice to be in the playoffs. It’s only the third time eligible for the playoffs. The first two years, we were close. This year, we made it.”
The Gators earned their playoff spot, as well as BFL championship in a roundabout way. Sacred Heart Prep finished the regular season with two straight losses on the field — the loss to King’s Academy Saturday, which came on the heels of a 9-0 loss to Salesian the week before. Normally not the best way to finish the season.
The Gators learned last week, however, that the loss to Salesian turned into a forfeit win after it was discovered the Spirit used an illegal player in their win. Instead of a 7-2 mark and a 4-1 league record going into the game against King’s Academy, the Gators were 8-1 and in the mix for the BFL title. The loss dropped the Gators into a three-way tie —*again —*for the BFL title, but this time, Lavorato had luck on his side. In a preseason drawing of straws to determine the league champ in case of a tie, Lavorato drew stick No. 1.
“Last year, we did (the tiebreaker) at the end of the year,” Lavorato said.
The forfeit win over Salesian made the game against King’s Academy also a moot point. The fact the Gators held the tiebreaker factored into Lavorato’s decision to go for the win against the Knights. The Gators drove 80 yards and scored a touchdown to close to 28-27 with less than a minute to play in the game. Lavorato decided to go for the 2-point conversion and the win. The Gators came up short in the game, but it didn’t really matter.
“We had to make a decision to go for 1 or 2,” Lavorato said. “I would have kicked the extra point it would have meant a playoff spot. We knew we had it (a playoff spot) locked it up.”
Ironically, all three teams —*King’s Academy, Salesian and Sacred Heart Prep —*all made the Class A playoffs. Last year, only the Knights and Spirit made the postseason.
***
I don’t know if it was the fallout of the Sequoia-Half Moon Bay fiasco the previous week, but there appeared to be a lot more focus on sportsmanship and clean play this past weekend.
At the Menlo-Atherton-Woodside game Friday night in Redwood City, many Woodside supporters were walking around with “Honor the Game” stickers pasted on themselves. At the Little Big Game in San Mateo Saturday morning, there was a banner on the San Mateo side that encouraged, “Peace” and “Passion” at the game. During the Jefferson-Menlo School game Friday afternoon in Atherton, the officials were quick to quell any post-play aggression.
It’s was nice to see that everybody got the message that the ugliness that afflicted the Sequoia-Half Moon Bay game did not carry over the Rivalry Week.
At least I didn’t hear anything bad happening.
***
It was quite a weekend for a couple of former Peninsula Athletic League standouts.
Former Burlingame stud Drew Shiller got off to a quick start for the Stanford basketball team. After playing his freshman year at University of San Francisco, he sat out last season after transferring to Stanford. Over the weekend, Shiller led the Cardinal with 18 points against Harvard Friday and followed that with 15 against Northwestern State. He had six points against Santa Barbara Sunday. In three games, Shiller is second on the team in scoring, averaging 13 points per game.
When former Mills quarterback Adam Tafralis was a senior, he was being recruited by several colleges —*to be a linebacker. Tafralis, however, stuck to his guns of wanting to be a quarterback. That moxie paid off as Saturday Tafralis became the all-time yardage leader for San Jose State. Tafralis’ 7,363 yards of total offense broke the record of current Tampa Bay Buccaneer quarterback and former 49er Jeff Garcia.