Football Playoffs Reach Grand Finale : 3-A Championship: Playing in the shadow of the 4-A title game doesn’t hurt a bit for most of the participants.

A consolation championship?

That’s not the way Bell, Wilson and Manual Arts perceive winning a City Section 3-A Division title.

“Winning the 4-A is the ultimate championship, but winning the 3-A would be just as gratifying because this school has never won a championship in football,” Bell coach Henry Santiago said. “All sports are 3-A (at Bell), so for us, winning the 3-A means winning the championship.”

The third-seeded Eagles will get a chance to win their first City 3-A title when they play 16th-seeded Birmingham on Friday at Gardena High. The Eagles beat Manual Arts, 27-7, in a semifinal game.

Bell was one point and a trick play away from being placed in the 4-A playoff bracket this season:

* In a 14-13 loss to South Gate, Santiago opted for a two-point conversion--which failed--rather than kick the game-tying extra point with 44 seconds left.

* In a 34-28 loss to Fremont, a trick play by Bell with 10 seconds remaining resulted in a 26-yard interception return by Toiler linebacker Cedric Hughes for the game-winning touchdown.

Had Bell (10-3) tied these two games, they would have finished ahead of Garfield in the standings and taken the Bulldogs’ spot in the 4-A.

Because his Bell team has played well against a few of the 4-A playoff teams, Santiago believes the Eagles could compete in either bracket.

“I’d love to play some of the teams in the 4-A,” Santiago said. “I think I could have beaten some of the 4-A teams. It was just the way our records fell.

“The Southeastern Conference competition prepared us for the playoffs. The 3-A is not a consolation bracket and the (3-A and 4-A) teams are not necessarily divided by talent.”

Perhaps not, but Buster Bradley would have liked to test his receiving skills against some of the 4-A cornerbacks.

“I would prefer playing in the 4-A because the competition is better,” Bradley said. “I wouldn’t have minded being in Franklin’s position. I think we would have given Carson a better game.”

Wilson quarterback Eddie Gonzales agreed with his star wideout.

“I would rather go 4-A because everyone says ‘If you are going to play, play with the best,’ ” Gonzales said. “But, I would rather go 3-A and win than play in the 4-A and lose.”

If not for a midseason loss to Franklin, Wilson would have replaced the Panthers as Carson’s opponent.

Instead, the Mules lost the coveted Bell, the Northern Conference championship and a 4-A playoff berth all in one night.

Still, coach Eddie Martinez sees the 3-A championship as a satisfying reward for a great season.

“I don’t feel winning the 3-A would be a consolation championship,” Martinez said.

“We want to make the best of the situation that we are in.”

There is talk that next season, all teams will be clustered into a single playoff bracket. If that happens, Martinez, who was a sophomore on the Wilson team which won the first 3-A championship in 1975, knows the Mules are in a unique position.

“It would be a good script if we could win the first (3-A championship) and the last,” Martinez said.

Wilson (10-3), however, did not get the chance to win any title as the Mules lost to Birmingham, 27-20, in the other semifinal game.

Manual Arts Coach Rodney Spencer opposes the current playoff system.

“I like the old format, where you knew where you would be (3-A or 4-A) at the start of the season “ he said.

Bell and Birmingham both feature well-balanced offenses. The Eagles are led by quarterback Gus Valenzuela, who finished the regular season with 1,613 yards and 20 touchdowns, and running back Vern Benard, who was fourth in the area in rushing with 1,140 yards and six touchdowns.

Courtney Blunt, who rushed for 1,516 yards and 22 touchdowns in 13 games, leads the Birmingham’s ball-control attack. Jason Howard has caught 30 passes for 676 yards and four touchdowns, and quarterback Paul Prince has thrown for 1,033 yards and seven touchdowns.