High School Review / Scott Miller : Playoffs Will Say So Long to Byes in the First Round

First-round byes will be eliminated in next year’s San Diego Section football, baseball and girls’ volleyball playoffs because each sport will increase its number of playoff participants from 12 teams to 16.

The San Diego Section Coordinating Council voted for the increase last week after a recommendation from the Playoff Committee.

“There was some concern about loss of momentum (as the playoffs started),” said Kendall Webb, San Diego Section commissioner. “Some teams had to wait longer than they wanted to before playing.”

John Shacklett, who coached the Morse football team to the 3-A championship last fall, agreed.

“I don’t like that week layoff,” Shacklett said. “You don’t need it. Plus, this gives a few more teams the opportunity to play in the playoffs. We’ve been playing a 16-team format with 12 teams anyway.”

There will be no extra time involved because the increase in teams simply means the elimination of first-round byes rather than added dates. But it will mean some extra money to the schools who would have had byes. The section allows schools that play host to first-round football and volleyball playoff games and the first and second rounds in basketball to keep the profits (the policy for basketball is different because there are more rounds).

An ad hoc committee chaired by Frank Cranley, superintendent of the Imperial school district, is coming up with specific proposals regarding sports violence in the section.

The committee is creating codes of ethics and conduct with specific penalties for violators.

There were several outbreaks of violence this year in San Diego, most notably a 15-minute bench-clearing brawl during the 3-A baseball championship game between Mt. Carmel and Helix.

“The brawl in the 3-A championship game was illustrative of a problem that is growing larger and larger,” Webb said.

Webb said the proposals probably will be discussed at the Board of Managers meeting Tuesday, refined, sent to the leagues for review and then be implemented at the first Board of Managers meeting for the 1989-90 school year next October.

Mt. Carmel and Patrick Henry were the local winners in last week’s major league baseball free agent draft. Mt. Carmel had five current and former players drafted, Patrick Henry four.

From Mt. Carmel: Miah Bradbury (Philadelphia), John Tejcek (Oakland), Dan Rumsey (San Francisco), Marcus Lee (Houston) and Kevin Lofthus (Oakland). Tejcek and Lee played on Mt. Carmel’s 3-A championship team this year.

Patrick Henry’s contributions: Kasey McKeon (Detroit), Cory Powell (Montreal), Kevin Tahan (St. Louis) and Mike Romberg (Montreal). All graduated previously.

Freshman Chris Riley led Madison to a second-place finish in the Southern California high school team golf championships. Madison, the San Diego Section team champion, shot a team total 389 and finished one shot behind West Bakersfield at the Bakersfield Country Club.

Riley finished sixth in the individual championship with a five-over par 149 for two rounds. He was the highest finishing boy from the section; Chris Stewart of Valhalla was seventh at 152. Madison has never won the tournament since it was started in 1971, but also finished second in 1972 and 1973.

Coaching carrousel: Grossmont softball Coach Steve Sutton, a 15-year veteran at the school, will coach varsity football and softball at Santee’s West Hills High School. The school opened just two years ago with a freshman class and now will start varsity competition in the Grossmont 2-A League with its first junior class.

Tim Oder, Fallbrook track and field coach, has resigned after seven years as head coach.

Both are leaving as champions. Fallbrook won the section boys’ track and field championship this year, and Grossmont won its first section softball title.