Southwest Division preview
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There’s no big shocker in this division. Most of the teams that should have gotten in -- Diamond Ranch not included, but more about the Panthers later -- did get in.
Even the top seeds went as expected: 1. El Dorado (9-1); 2. Charter Oak (8-1-1); 3. Trabuco Hills (9-1); 4. South Hills (8-2)
‘No, no [surprises],’ El Dorado Coach Jeff Bailey said. ‘When they gave the San Antonio League the No. 4 [seed] automatic, you kind of figured what [the Southern Section office] was going to do.’
Yeah, you kind of did. Just as the bracket provided no shock value, I’m not expecting many surprises to develop during the playoffs either. Here are five things to watch for in the Southwest Division, with my prediction being the last one:
1. Could the championship game (which is on Friday, Dec. 7) be a rematch of last year’s championship game? Yes. In fact, I expect it to be. El Dorado (last year’s champion) and Charter Oak are not only the two best teams in the Southwest Division, they are the two teams that are playing the best heading into the playoffs. Nothing against South Hills, which has an eight-game winning streak, but getting past Foothill and El Dorado to reach the finals is not going to be easy.
2. Who’s the dark horse? That would be Foothill, which got seeded as if they were the No. 5 seed. The Knights (8-2) are not spectacular -- they are good (not great) on defense and run an option-style offense. QB Chad Miller passed for 1,448 yards and rushed for 672 yards and 13 touchdowns, which is tied for team best.
3. Best first round match-up? Anaheim Canyon vs West Covina. The teams are somewhat even. They pretty much do the same things -- play solid D, have a nice running game and don’t get too cute on offense. The only difference is, and this will probably be the difference in the game, Canyon (8-2) has more experience and senior leadership than do the Bulldogs (5-5).
4. The absence of Los Altos and Diamond Ranch. The Conquerors are missing the playoffs for the first time since 1994. Los Altos’ injuries were just too much overcome. The Panthers had to forfeit all their wins earlier in the season because a player was ruled ineligible. Diamond Ranch could have made the playoffs if it had defeated Charter Oak in the last week of the season, but the Panthers lost. Coach Roddy Layton kept hoping his team might still be playing in the postseason. ‘It’s just heartbreaking,’ he said.
Said Charter Oak Coach Lou Farrar about Los Altos and Diamond Ranch, ‘Earlier in the season, they had all the horses and everything was going their way.... (But) it’s tough to lose those three guys (and) rules are rules.’
5. Who will win it all? I said it earlier in the season, twice, and I have no reason to change my opinion now: El Dorado is going to repeat as Southwest Division champions.
They were good last year and look even better this year.
‘They seem faster than last year,’ Farrar said about the Golden Hawks. ‘They don’t have many flaws.’
No, they don’t. That’s why I’m picking them. Farrar also said that El Dorado’s first-string defense didn’t allow many points -- heck, the entire team gave up only 80 points the entire season.
‘And their first-string defense only played in the fourth quarter about eight of the 10 weeks,’ he said.
Charter Oak is faster than it was last year, so I am expecting a title game rematch. Said Layton: ‘I’ll be at that game and I’ll buy some popcorn, because that’s a great matchup.’
Should El Dorado beat Rowland (3-7) in the first round Friday, its will play the winner of the El Toro-Bellflower game on the road. If the Golden Hawks reach the semifinals, they will be the hosts.
Should Charter Oak win its first-round game Friday against Norwalk, a running team that attempted only 15 passes on the season, it will host the winer of Canyon-West Covina. If they win the quarterfinal game, they’ will likely go on the road for the semis (most likely to Trabuco Hills).
Here’s the complete Southwest Division playoff pairings for the first round:
Top bracket: Rowland (San Antonio 3, 3-7) at El Dorado (Century 1, 9-1); El Toro (Sea View 3, 5-5) at Bellflower (Suburban 2, 7-3); Bonita (Miramonte 2, 6-4) at Foothill (Sea View 2, 8-2); La Mirada (Suburban T3, 4-6) at South Hills (San Antonio 1, 8-2)
Bottom bracket: Brea Olinda (Century T2, 5-5) at Trabuco Hills (Sea View 1, 9-1); Hacienda Heights Wilson (Miramonte T3, 5-5) at Mayfair (Suburban 1, 7-3); West Covina (San Antonio 2, 5-5) at Anaheim Canyon (Century T2, 8-2); Norwalk (Suburban T3, 5-5) at Charter Oak (Miramonte 1, 8-1-1)
-- Jaime Cardenas