It’s hard not to like Birmingham’s chances of getting a south berth
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When the state announces its south representative for the state Division I Bowl championship game between 3-4 p.m., Coach Ed Croson and running back Milton Knox are going to be very happy.
By virtue of Birmingham’s 13-1 season, state commissioners will choose the City champion with the 13-game winning streak.
Instead of Long Beach Poly (13-1), the Pac-5 champion with the steel-plated defense.
Instead of Corona Centennial (13-1), the No. 1 ranked team in the Southland by The Times -- and No. 2 in the state by CalHiSports.com behind Concord De La Salle.
Birmingham beat Poly head-to-head.
Birmingham lost to Crespi in Zero Week, but in the playoffs, Crespi dominated Mater Dei, which beat Centennial in a game that produced more offense than any in state history.
Mater Dei not only lost to Crespi, but during the regular season was beaten soundly by Orange Lutheran, which was beaten last week by Poly, 2-0 (a long snap went over the punters head, and he stepped out the back of the end zone).
Centennial’s only trump card is its victory over Crespi, which was devalued by the Celts’ 13-3 loss to Poly in the Pac-5 title game.
It’s going to Birmingham. Birmingham.
Not that Birmingham-De La Salle is a bad choice, but it’s not my first choice. I’d much rather see Centennial, with quarterback Matt Scott, running back Ryan Bass and a hurry-up offense that scored a season-low in a 31-24 victory over Fresno Clovis West, the only one of Centennial’s victories by fewer than 21 points. In Saturday’s Inland championship, Centennial scored 42 points for the 10th time in 14 games. They weren’t playing slackers, either (neither did Birmingham nor Poly).
I have my doubts that Centennial could shut down De La Salle, but I would have those doubts no matter the opponent (although less so if DLS was playing Poly). However, I don’t have any doubts that the Huskies can score against DLS. In other words, a DLS-Centennial game could end up very much like the 51-37 game Centennial played against Mater Dei. It was the Huskies’ only loss of the season, and it wasn’t without a controversial play that went against them at a pivotal time in the contest.
Birmingham’s offense is not as potent as Centennial’s. Its defense is not as sharp as Poly’s. It might not be as good as either. But as the last 15 weeks played out, it sure looks like the dominoes fell properly for Birmingham to get a bowl selection.
-- Martin Henderson