Fall realignment leaves less change than first time around
A year ago at this time, the CIF Southern Section office sent shock waves with its release of the 2016 fall division realignment.
The postseason realignment affected every team, either directly or indirectly, with the sports of football, boys’ water polo, girls’ volleyball and girls’ tennis being grouped by a formula attempting to promote playoff equity.
The majority of area teams found themselves playing in different divisions, primarily away from league foes, with a whole new set of playoff opponents.
This year, though, there was hardly a tremor, at least outside of boys’ water polo.
In football, girls’ volleyball and girls’ tennis only five teams – no more than two per sport – switched divisions when the CIF Southern Section office announced its latest round of postseason realignment.
Only in boys’ water polo was there a huge change as every area team will enter a new division when the season gets underway Aug. 21.
In football, 2016 was a magical season for Burbank High.
The Bulldogs finished 10-4, took second in the Pacific League, and advanced to the program’s first-ever CIF Southern Section championship game as they lost the Division VIII title to host Yorba Linda, 31-21, on Dec. 2.
All-Area Coach of the Year Richard Broussard stepped down in December and was replaced by alumnus Adam Colman in February.
Colman’s arrival isn’t the only change as for a third straight season, Burbank will be on the move again.
The Bulldogs, who were in Division V in 2015, will be moved from up to Division VIII from Division VII.
“We kind of knew that this was expected because of what happened last year,” said Colman, whose team is ranked No. 133 out of the entire Southern Section. “It’s a challenge that we’ll face and I think we’ll still do very well.”
Burbank was the only area football team to be reassigned.
St. Francis is the area’s highest-ranked team at No. 40 and remained in Division III. There was also no change for Crescenta Valley (No. 109 and in Division VI), Burroughs (No. 166 and in Division VIII), La Cañada (No. 287 and in Division XII), Glendale (No. 324 and in Division XIII) and Hoover (No. 325 and in Division XIII).
Flintridge Prep and Bellarmine-Jefferson, which play eight-man football, were unaffected.
While football’s realignment was small, water polo underwent big and sweeping changes.
Division I and II were combined into a 27-team pool that will include a basketball-style “watch list” in which the top 10 teams will be ranked. At the end of the season, teams ranked in the top eight will comprise the Division I postseason, while the next 19 squads will be moved in Division II.
Pacific League champion Hoover is right on the bubble as it’s ranked No. 9 after a season in which it finished 22-6 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section II playoffs.
On the flip side, Pacific League third-place finisher Crescenta Valley is returning to Division IV after spending last season in Division II with the Tornadoes.
“This kind of balances us back from last year’s move,” Crescenta Valley coach Jan Sakonju said. “I think another year in Division II would have been a disaster for us as we’re really a program in transition.”
The last time the Falcons participated in Division IV two seasons ago, they reached the CIF Southern Section Championship game.
Pacific League runner-up Burroughs captured a CIF Southern Section Division V title last season, only the second CIF title in any sport in school history.
Due to their success, the Indians took the elevator up to Division III.
Joining Burroughs in Division III is Rio Hondo League champion La Cañada, which was last in Division III two years prior.
The Spartans missed the playoffs entirely for the first time this century in 2015, only to rebound in 2016 and finish with a 20-9 record while falling to Burroughs in the Division V semifinals.
The move came as a shock to Spartans coach Josh Rodriguez.
“The double bump is surprising, but I know we had a really competitive schedule last year and we did well,” Rodriguez said. “I told my kids that the level of competition is going to be really high and they have a lot of work in front on them.
“I guess we could look at it as a positive since the CIF recognized the hard work we put in and is moving us up.”
Three-time defending Prep League champion Flintridge Prep may have an opportunity to advance past the second round of the playoffs this season as the Rebels were dropped to Division V from Division IV.
St. Francis, which started its program last season, is now eligible for the Division VI playoffs. Glendale and Burbank moved up to Division VI from Division VII last season.
“When you do the playoff realignment year-to-year like this, you’re going to get a lot changes,” Sakonju said. “I look at the division we’re in and there are still a lot of good teams out there.”
As for girls’ volleyball, only two teams were moved.
Despite not winning a postseason match, Pacific League third-place finisher Crescenta Valley and its new coach Travis Dancer will be heading up to Division III from Division IV.
Moving in the opposite direction, La Cañada fell to Division IV from Division III.
Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, the No. 8-ranked team in the entire Southern Section, is firmly planted in Division I, while Burroughs (Division III), Burbank (Division IV), Glendale (Division IV), Hoover (Division V), Flintridge Prep (Division VI), Providence (Division VIII), Bellarmine-Jefferson (Division IX), Glendale Adventist (Division IX), Holy Family (Division IX), St. Monica Academy (Division IX) and Lycee International (Division X) stayed in the same division as the season prior.
In girls’ tennis, there were no changes for La Cañada and Burbank as both teams will continue to compete in Division II.
The same can be said for Crescenta Valley and Burroughs since both teams will stay put in Division III.
Flintridge Prep, however, will attempt to make another brilliant postseason run in Division III as the squad was moved up from Division IV.
Last year, the Rebels tallied a 12-9 record and finished third in the Prep League. Their real run, though, began in the postseason as the squad won four playoff matches and advanced to the semifinals of Division IV for the first time in school history.
While Flintridge Prep climbed one level, Glendale dropped a grade from Division III to Division IV.
In Division IV, Glendale is reunited with archrival Hoover, which did not change divisions.
