Football: Western Division controversy is shaping up

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Lompoc (8-0), West Hills Chaminada (7-1) and Gardena Serra (6-2) are the three best teams in the Southern Section Western Division. But Chaminade and Serra play in the same Mission League, and I don’t think they’ll want to meet in a semifinal game if they’re the No. 2 and 3 seeds.

And they won’t be under Southern Section rules. The two top two finishers in each league are put in different brackets.

Some people might say that Chaminade deserves the No. 1 seed, but Lompoc has won 28 consecutive games and one of the Braves’ victories came against Bakersfield Frontier, which went on to defeat highly regarded Bakersfield. So people need to stop questioning how good Lompoc is. The Braves are good and loaded with talent.

Junior defensive lineman Annui Taua (6-1, 280) might be the best defensive lineman in California for the class of 2014. ‘He’s probably the most physical kid I’ve ever seen,’ Coach Andrew Jones said.

And the Braves have won five consecutive games without standout running back Lavon Coleman, who has been recovering from a thigh injury.

Clearly, one key for Chaminada or Serra down the road would be to win a coin toss and get to host a championship game. Winning at Lompoc will be very difficult.

The Western champion will then have to compete against the Southwest champion (likely Edison or Tustin) for a CIF state championship regional berth. If Lompoc goes 14-0 for a second consecutive season, it would be unthinkable to deny the Braves a bowl berth, right?

Yes, there’s going to be some news made in the weeks ahead.

-- Eric Sondheimer