Marmonte League madness

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I’ve been covering Marmonte League football for the better part of the last seven or eight years now and one of the few topics I’ve always heard the coaches agree on is that you never know what to expect when the Ventura County neighbors get together because the rivalries are so intense. This season has been a prime example with teams beating up on each other week in and week out.

Heading into the regular season finale tonight, the league title is up for grabs and 16 different Northern Division playoff scenarios will finally be decided when all is said and done.

One of the few certainties is that Westlake will win the championship outright if the Warriors defeat Moorpark and Newbury Park loses to Thousand Oaks. Beyond that, things get crazy.

With a victory, Newbury Park clinches at least a share of the title and the league’s top seed for the postseason, even if Westlake prevails. Moorpark is still alive too. A victory, coupled with a Newbury Park loss, would create a four-way tie for first and the Musketeers would receive the league’s top seed for the playoffs as a result. Exhausting, isn’t it?

Almost forgot about Agoura. The Chargers are in the mix for the league’s fourth and final automatic playoff berth. Obviously, their hopes hinge on the outcome of those two other games. So, it’s safe to say that there’s going to be plenty of scoreboard watching tonight. And I’ll be glad when it’s over, around 10 p.m. this evening, after the final seconds tick off the clock. The cloudy league race and playoff picture will be a whole lot clearer then.

-- Sean Ceglinsky, guest blogger

-- Image from www.icb.ucsb.edu