Bellflower guard Leon Singleton and his teammates can only sit an watch the Week Ten results…and hope for a backdoor into the Southeast playoff bracket. (Photo by Joe T.)
By Joe Torosian
“I’m looking at myself, reflections of my mind,
It’s just the kind of day to leave myself behind,
So gently swaying thru the fairy-land of love,
If you’ll just come with me and see the beauty of…Tuesday afternoon.”
—Moody Blues
Kick it!
Right off the top: When you got wine, you don’t need bread! Translation: When the Rams beat the 49ers…I could careless about Fantasy Football.
If you understand federal tax law then you should have no problem figuring out which of the four third place teams in the Mid-Valley Division will make it to the playoffs. At 5-5 Bassett should go, but then again that’s just my opinion. I also think shrimp and grits are a great pairing as well…but, hey, that’s me.
After completing the regular season on Halloween night and with no hope for a playoff invite it is time to say “sayonara” to the following: Garey, Pasadena Marshall, Rancho Mirage, and Firebaugh…May the offseason lords of football keep you, bless you, and smile upon you until next fall.
Three others finished out the schedule but are eyeing November football.
At 6-4 Nipomo is sitting this week out waiting to see how the tie-breaker/seeding in the Northern League shakes out between them and Morro Bay and Templeton. The Titans beat Morro Bay. Morro beat Templeton, and Templeton beat Nipomo. So the Titans could go in as a number one and get a home game, which could be a nice long drive for a Valley Christian or a very very long cross country trip for Twentynine Palms (It’s okay, only about 350 miles separate them the 29ers and Nipomo/Morro Bay/Templeton).
Note: A Mission Prep win at Morro Bay on Friday will complicate things.
Rio Hondo Prep is 2-1 and locked in at second place in the Prep League. With a 4-5 record the Kares are dancing, but could end up on the road.
The third team, Bellflower, is in limbo caught between life and death. The Buccaneers are 7-3, but only 3-3 in the Suburban League (Losses to La Mirada, Mayfair, Norwalk) and stuck in fourth place.
Five leagues make up the Southeast Division so fifteen spots are gone to the top three finishers in each. A 7-3 record should be a lock, right?
Nope. Teams with that exact record have been left out in the cold before. The poster child for postseason abandonment is Crescenta Valley, which was left to turn in its gear after going 8-2 in 2013.
So who is vying for the sixteenth spot? Salesian with a victory this week will finish 5-5, but the Mustangs are playing at St. Francis and I really don’t think the Golden Knights are in the favor doing business…so arrivederci!
Burbank and Burroughs are both 6-3 and 4-2 in Pacific League play. The winner gets in, the loser has to cross its fingers and hope fourth place, 4-3 & 6-4 overall is good enough.
Then there is Warren and Paramount duking it out for third place. West Covina HC Mike Maggiore can now add prophet to his resume. In the spring he predicted under new HC Raul Lara that the Bears would win five games. They’ve done that and a sixth would make them 3-2 in the San Gabriel Valley League and punch a playoff ticket. The Pirates will have the same record if they win.
So is a fourth place SGVL team, 2-3 in league, 5-5 overall worth more than 7-3 Bellflower?
The MaxPreps playoff predictor has Bellflower at 14 and Paramount at 13. Burbank is 17, Burroughs 19, and Warren is 20. Salesian as of right now is 12 but they will be underwater at 4-6 when St. Franks beats them.
Last Add Southeast Wild Card: According to CalPreps rating system (www.calpreps.com)—Salesian: 19.1, Paramount: 18.2, Bellflower: 15, Burbank: 12.4, Burroughs: 7.6, & Warren: 6.4.
Really Last Add Southeast Wild Card: So Paramount and Burbank victories will help Bellflower.
No One Notices I Think I’ll Dye My Hair Blue Department: Rancho Mirage saw its initial varsity end last week with a 1-9 record. However, look at the numbers attached to Marques Prior. The freshman quarterback went 74 of 181 for 1,024 yards, 11 touchdown passes and nine picks. The Rattlers return a whole lot of talent next year, lose nobody, and should contend in the De Anza.
Note to Bonita HC Adrian Medrano: The Hacienda League is crazy enough right now, so can you settle Palomares League business with a win over Claremont? I hate to take sides, but numbers and crunching them give me a headache.
Every time I think a player shouldn’t transfer something comes up and I think he should get the heck out of where he is. There’s not an absolute here because every circumstance is different. I get that and I believe that. So I think it’s really interesting to see Phillip Becerra, who as a freshman at San Gabriel saw them drive all the way to the 2011 Mid-Valley Division finals against Monrovia, and then experienced only six wins over his three varsity seasons. Becerra is a 6-0, 263-pound offensive linemen who would be a welcome addition at any school. In fact he’s been athletic enough to get carries out of the backfield this season and he stuck it out. Stuck it out when the team was bad and transferring out would have been easy. He stuck it out while playing for three different head coaches and the Matadors scoring only three touchdowns this season. I could be wrong, but when life hits Becerra…When the kids are sick, money is short, the car won’t start, and the water heater fails…I get the feeling Becerra is going to stick it out.
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How would Edgar Allan Poe describe the Hacienda playoff picture? “Much of madness and more of sin, with horror the soul of the plot.”
Think about this: Los Altos beats Walnut and the Conquerors are 3-2 in league. What if Chino upsets Charter Oak? Both teams will be 3-2 in league. And if Diamond Ranch beats West Covina both of those programs will be 3-2. Not saying it is going to happen, but this is the madness the Hacienda League has become.
Regards:
In regards to November 4, 1979: The world changed forever that day.
In regards to West Covina: Last night on “The Mid Valley Sports Show” we erroneously said that West Covina was under water “4-6” when they made the playoffs last year. Correction: They were “5-5″…our bad. They finished at “5-6” in 2013 after losing to Norwalk in the first round.
In regards to Jerry Brown winning a fourth term as Governor of California: It’s like battling gout. It might fade for a while but it always flares up again. To me Brown hasn’t been much since he broke up with Linda Ronstadt. By the way who did the Republicans nominate? Roy Munson?
In regards to Gabrielino: If I were El Monte I wouldn’t take them lightly.
In regards to this date ten years ago: Crespi played Bosco Tech…Let that sink in…Crespi and Bosco Tech stepped onto the same football field together…Crespi won, 68-0.
The Dude abides…
592
Psalms 80:3
Contact Joe at joe@midvalleysports.com
“Joe T.’s Scoreboard” is found at www.midvalleynews.com every Wednesday & in the hard copy of the Mid Valley News, published every Wednesday
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