13 teams, two reporters, one crazy day

The county went 7-6 in those games, with Hillsdale boys’ basketball and the M-A, Half Moon Bay and Woodside Priory girls’ basketball squads all winning. It was the first section title in 23 years for Hillsdale, while Priory won its fourth straight DV crown.

On the soccer side, the Summit Prep boys won the school’s first-ever section championship, the Burlingame girls’ won their third in program history and Sacred Heart Prep went back to back.

It was one of those days that saw the Sports Lounge traverse the highways and byways of the Bay Area, as I made a big circle from the outskirts of the East Bay, to the San Jose area, up to Redwood City and finally back home — that was State Route 84 to Interstate 680 to Interstate 280, Highway 101, State Route 92 and finally Interstate 580.

For me, my day started with a 7 a.m. wakeup call, on the road at 8:45 for the 10 a.m. Summit Prep soccer game in San Jose. It ended around 5:45 p.m. after the Hillsdale basketball game.

That is merely child’s play, however, compared to Daily Journal marathon sports reporter Terry Bernal. He was also up early for a 10 a.m. soccer game in Sunnyvale. His day did not end until he finished up the Sequoia boys’ basketball title game, an 8 p.m. start, that put him right around the 12-hour mark.

And it’s not over. The Northern California basketball and soccer tournaments kick off Tuesday with 20 San Mateo County teams in action.

***

Big shoutout to the fans who PACKED Sequoia’s gym for the Hillsdale boys’ basketball team’s 59-40 win over Christopher for the school’s first team title since 1997. Had to have been at capacity.

So many times I’ve gone to CCS finals and essentially no more than parents and family would show up. Saturday was refreshing because it restores some of my faith in sports fans, knowing that if a team is in the finals, people will show up.

I know not everyone there was necessarily a Hillsdale fan. I’m sure there were plenty of people there simply to support a Peninsula Athletic League team. That it was a short drive for San Mateo, no doubt, played a role in the attendance figure.

But when the Hillsdale student section flowed onto the court as the final horn sounded, it just reminds you what high school sports is supposed to be about.

There was a nice surprise for fans of the Hillsdale boys’ basketball team Sunday on the CIF State website. On the front page of the website was a graphic touting the state tournament coming up this week. One of players featured in the graphic? Hillsdale’s Shawn Cotton Jr.

***

The team bags for the Burlingame girls’ soccer team will look slightly different next season as head coach Phil DeRosa will be adding a third star.

For those that don’t follow soccer closely, a star (or stars) on a team’s uniform or team gear indicates the number of championships that team has won. Burlingame’s penalty-kick win over Menlo School in the CCS Division III title game is the third in school history, as they went back to back in 2008 and 2009.

No doubt the Panthers were looking to send a message. Not to CCS, but to the rest of the PAL coaches who, inexplicably, voted Burlingame down into the Ocean Division for the 2020-21 season.

In what I understand was a contentious postseason meeting, the Panthers were voted to move from the Bay to the Ocean for the first time since the 2001-02 season. This despite the fact they finished fifth in the seven-team division.

Normally, the top two from the Ocean and the bottom two from the Bay flip-flop, but in an attempt to balance the number of teams in each division, this year only the Ocean champ, Capuchino, would get the promotion.

Then, it was decided to move Ocean runner-up Hillsdale into the Bay, meaning a corresponding move had to be made and it was voted Burlingame would be the third team from the Bay to be moved into the Ocean.

Burlingame athletic director John Philipopoulos said the school plans to appeal the decision.

***

If you’ve had your fill of basketball and/or soccer and are looking for some early baseball/softball games to watch, there are a bunch of rivalry games this week.

On the baseball side, San Mateo will host both its city rivals this week. The Bearcats will open the week, Wednesday with Hillsdale at 3:30 p.m. San Mateo then closes the week with a Saturday matinee against Aragon at 2 p.m.

Like the city of San Mateo, the city of Belmont will play its rivalry game and adding to mix is the public-versus-private school dynamic when the Carlmont softball team makes the short drive to Notre Dame-Belmont for “The Battle of Belmont” at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. It’s a new era at NDB as Kelly McDonald returns home. McDonald, a 2009 graduate who spent last season as head coach at Hillsdale, takes over for Tara Straube who, in six seasons with the Tigers, compiled an overall record of 99-65 and a league record (between the WCAL and WBAL) of 46-27.

In another public-private meeting, the Menlo-Atherton baseball team will drive across town to take on Sacred Heart Prep at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Look, I know Woodside High is, technically, in the town of Woodside, but that doesn’t stop people from calling it “The Battle for Redwood City” when the Wildcats take on Sequoia. Whatever you want to call it, it is a rivalry and the softball version will take place at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Woodside.

The Mills and Capuchino baseball teams will take their rivalry under the lights when the Mustangs host the Vikings 7 p.m. Friday night at San Bruno Park.

Nathan Mollat can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: 344-5200 ext. 117.