
(“The TEN” is not a top ten but ten items worth being included in “The TEN”)
- LeBron James hit a layup with eight seconds left to give Team USA a 101-100 win over South Sudan Saturday night in London.
- The Dodgers beat the Boston Red Sox 9-6 Sunday to complete a sweep of the three-game series.
- Damien receiver Elijah Bechtel is transferring to San Marcos High School after his father Matt Bechtel stepped down as head football coach.
- “The show must go on, let’s rock.” – Damien quarterback Isaiah Ariaza on Twitter (X).
- Xander Schauffele shot a final round 65 Sunday to win the Open Championship in Scotland.
- Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton, Joe Mauer and Jim Leyland were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
- The Cleveland Cavaliers signed Evan Mobley to a five-year, $225 million extension.
- Linebacker Shaquil Barret, a two-time Super Bowl champion with Tampa Bay and Denver, announced his retirement Saturday after nine NFL seasons.
- The Green Bay Packers signed DT Kenny Clark to a three-year, $64 million extension.
- Running back Kenyan Drake announced his retirement after eight seasons in the NFL. Drake recorded 883 yards from scrimmage for the Miami Dolphins in 2017.
La Serna has become a powerhouse even though they play nobody in league. Easy competition in league play does not help them in playoffs, but possibly less chance of losing key players to injury is a plus
Scheduling is not that easy . It doesn’t happen in a vacuum . The other team has to agree to/want to play you ! You need a certain number of home games. The dates have to line up and you may have previous commitments and existing contracts. League changes may alter the number of non league contests .
La Serna benefitted from many circumstances last year . The margin of victory for CalPreps is capped at 30 points so with league way down last year , the highest rating would be +20 for that game and some would be closer to zero and not even rated. They lost games to very good teams and were rated mostly off these games . They had key transfers who didn’t play in losses become eligible in second half and were true impact players . They basically practiced through league and were at full strength when playoff gauntlet began, while teams in tougher leagues were beat up and fatigued .
That being said , I don’t think they planned it . Playoffs are randomized now and it’s not a perfect system. The team the previous year could be considered better although they were far from state champs . They were placed in a higher division and that is requisite defining tell.