CIF ushers in change through spring realignment
Nearly every area high school was affected from changes made Friday afternoon by the CIF Southern Section office in regards to the spring sports postseason division realignment.
With the spring sports season opening Feb. 19, the CIF office made changes to boys’ tennis and volleyball, boys’ and girls’ swimming, baseball and softball using an equity-based model. Track and field, which uses enrollment to form its divisions, was unaffected, along with boys’ golf.
The spring postseason realignment was based on the same formula used during the fall and winter seasons that consisted of playoff performance, wins and strength of schedule over the previous two seasons.
In baseball, Burroughs is the area’s top-rated program with a score of 604.82, which put them ahead of Crescenta Valley (585.28). JSerra was ranked No. 1 (716.60), while new program Guidance Charter was No. 489 (1.63) and placed in Division VII.
The Pacific League was seated in Division II last season and suffered an 0-3 run in the postseason, while out scored, 26-5.
Despite those numbers, Pacific League co-champions Crescenta Valley and Burroughs will remain in Division II, while Burbank dropped to Division IV and Glendale and Hoover slid into Division V.
St. Francis, which had been in Division I, dropped to Division III. Flintridge Prep, which won a CIF title and eight postseason games over the last two years in Division VI, will make a big leap to Division IV.
La Cañada will remain in Division V, while Providence is back in Division VI along with reigning International League champion St. Monica Academy, which moved up one division.
The biggest gap between area teams exists in softball, as reigning two-time Pacific League champion Burroughs, which advanced to the semifinals in Division III last season, will now be asked to test its mettle in Division I.
Burroughs finished with the area’s highest score (165.91) as it’s No. 29 in the Southern Section. No one else in the area or in its league is in its same division, let alone Division II.
Crescenta Valley, the next highest scorer at 147.85, will compete in Division III along with Glendale and Burbank, while Hoover will try its luck in Division V.
Rio Hondo League champion La Cañada was kept in Division IV, while Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy and Flintridge Prep will share space in Division VI.
The largest contingent of area squads will reside in Division VII, which will be Bellarmine-Jefferson, Providence, Holy Family and St. Monica Academy.
In terms of pure rankings, the Burroughs boys’ volleyball team is the area’s highest-regarded squad.
The seven-time reigning Pacific League champions and CIF Southern California Regional Division II titlists were ranked No. 17 in the Southern Section and climbed the ladder from Division II to Division I with a final score of 257.52.
Rio Hondo League champion La Cañada is next at No. 43 with a score of 240.02, but didn’t move away from from Division II.
Burbank is also in Division II, along with Crescenta Valley, while Glendale and Hoover reside in Division III along with Flintridge Prep, which reached the Division IV semifinals last year.
St. Francis dropped from Division I to Division II, while St. Monica, Providence and Bell-Jeff are in Division V.
There were almost no changes in swimming, which does its alignment by league.
The only notable move was made by St. Francis, which is leaving its freelance status and joining the Mission League, where it will have to compete in Division I along with Mission League power Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy.
Due to the strength of Arcadia and Crescenta Valley, the Pacific League will remain in Division II, which includes Burbank, Burroughs, Glendale and Hoover.
La Cañada is also staying put in Division II, while Flintridge Prep will remain in Division III.
Perhaps to the disappointment of La Cañada, the Spartans will remain in Division I in boys’ tennis. The Spartans are ranked No. 19 in the CIF with 25.7255 points and are the area’s only Division I squad.
St. Francis and Crescenta Valley may very well face each other in the postseason as each is in Division II, while Burbank, Burroughs, Glendale and Flintridge Prep will call Division III home.
Should Hoover reach the postseason, it would complete in Division IV.
