TC Coach Mike McFarland must feel like he just won the lottery
It’s the best time of the year. But then again it’s the worst. While the next four weeks of the CIF High School football playoffs are special, it’s also a reminder of how little time we have left in the season.
I was out at Covina High School Sunday for the release of the Mid-Valley Division playoff pairings. It’s always funny to me how quick the proceedings are.
One minute, 16 coaching staffs are sitting at round tables anxiously waiting to see who their first round opponent will be. The next, the host, Covina Coach Darryl Thomas, walks out and says here’s the brackets and passes out the sheets.
A couple minutes later the coin flips determining the home teams for the second rounds take place. The coaches shake hands, exchange tapes and go home. The whole process takes maybe ten minutes. I guess that’s all the time that’s needed, but it’s just ironic that after four months of speculation about who gets in, who’s out and who gets shafted, we know everything in a matter of moments.
After perusing over the Mid-Valley Division brackets, some of them make sense and some of them as usual make none. For the second consecutive year, it looks like Arroyo got the short end of the stick. While the Knights are hosting San Dimas, a team that beat Monrovia, Rosemead and Temple City are squaring off at the corner of Lower Azusa and Rosemead Blvd.
Does it matter that Arroyo handily beat Rosemead and routed Temple City? Apparently not according to CIF. While it’s possible that Arroyo could fall to the Saints, Rosemead or TC is advancing to the second round.
Arroyo lost to Whittier Christian in the first round after going undefeated in the MVL last year and now the Knights get San Dimas. Did Jim Singiser do something to tick off the CIF powers that be?
Winning league doesn’t mean as much as it used to.
Speaking of Whittier Christian, doesn’t Maranatha, the second place team in the Olympic, look a lot like the Heralds of 2009? The Minutemen get La Puente at home in the first round.
With the exception of Monrovia- Gladstone and possibly La Canada- Covina, every game in the Mid-Valley Division is a toss up.
Speaking of Temple City, Mike McFarland and the Rams are walking on sunshine right now. Not only do the Rams get in on a con flip but they get a team that they had on the ropes earlier this year.
“Oh yeah, the kids are going to be pumped,” McFarland said.
The next time a coach in the playoffs says he got hosed he should look at South Pasadena’s fate this year. The Tigers beat Temple City 27-17 last Thursday night and finished in a three way tie for second in the Rio Hondo at 3-2. But due to a flip of a coin, they’re at home watching Oprah while the Rams and La Canada get ready for the first round.
Sure, TC and LC would both have argument as well if they were left out, but it just emphasizes the point that it should be settled on the field. Would a Saturday afternoon playoff really be that difficult to put together?
Village Christian is not a true 16 seed. Azusa has its hands full.
Schurr has the home field advantage against Baldwin Park, but didn’t the Spartans also have that same advantage last week vs. San Gabriel? Right now, the Braves are playing better football.
Arroyo one more time: If the Knights survive San Dimas who would they get next? Probably Maranatha. Ok and if they get past the Minutemen? How about Monrovia? Coach? Again, what did you do to deserve this?
I agree with Freddy Robledo and Stevie R over at the Trib. Monrovia will win the whole thing. That’s the one thing I’m sure of. Of course I was also sure of it last year.
That’s my principle.
Tim can be reached at tspeterson32@yahoo.com.
Leave a Reply