Servite Misses Out Because of Bylaws

Servite won six of its nine games against playoff teams this season, but it was left out of the Southern Section Division I football playoffs Sunday because of the one non-playoff team that beat the Friars.

Bellflower St. John Bosco (3-7), which shared second place with Servite (6-4) and Santa Margarita (6-4) in the four-team Serra League, was submitted to the playoff selection committee as the league’s at-large representative because it beat Servite. However, Bosco was ineligible to receive an at-large berth into the playoffs because it didn’t have a .500 record.

Thus, Servite--ranked behind the listed at-large team--couldn’t be selected ahead of Bosco.

“By rule, in a four-team league, you have to take the third-place team,” said Bill Clark, assistant commissioner in charge of football. “And Bosco wasn’t a .500 team.”

Santa Margarita won a three-way coin flip to get one of the league’s two automatic berths just moments after losing to Servite on Friday, 31-27. Even though Bosco couldn’t go into the playoffs as an at-large team, it was submitted as the at-large entry, per first-year Serra League bylaws, because it beat Servite, 31-18.

“We were hoping that because Bosco couldn’t go, that CIF would acknowledge that and give us the opportunity,” said Servite principal Ray Dunne.

But the Southern Section’s hands were tied by its bylaws.

“Obviously, we’re a brand new league but I think you’ll find this pretty standard in most leagues,” said Dunne, who will request a review of the bylaws when the league meets again on Dec. 1. With a four-team league, and only three league games, this situation could arise again.

‘Nine of our opponents were playoff teams and we were 6-3,” Servite Coach Larry Toner said. “I think that proves we were at that caliber. I don’t blame anyone but ourselves. We had control of our own destiny if we beat Bosco.”

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Mater Dei in Division I, Newport Harbor in Division VI and Brea Olinda in Division IX were seeded highest among the 39 county teams that qualified for the playoffs in six divisions.

Mater Dei (8-2) was seeded behind Long Beach Poly (10-0) and ahead of Rialto Eisenhower (9-1). Los Alamitos (9-1) is No. 4.

In Division VI, Lakewood Mayfair (10-0) is No. 1 and the team it beat for the Suburban League title, La Mirada (8-2), is No. 3. Tustin is No. 4.

La Verne Bonita (10-0) is No. 1 in Division IX, followed by Brea (9-0-1), Costa Mesa (8-2) and Valencia (8-2). Valencia, second to Brea in the Orange League, lost a coin flip with another second-place team, Corona del Mar (3-7) from the Pacific Coast League, for the right to host a first-round game.

Orange Lutheran (10-0) was seeded third in Division XI, which has three undefeated teams in it, top-seeded Cathedral City Cathedral (10-0) and Ventura St. Bonaventure (10-0).

Capistrano Valley Christian (8-1) was seeded third in Division XIII.

None of the three county teams in Division II were seeded.

COMMITMENTS

Rosary’s Natalie Golda, the Southern Section Division IV co-MVP last season, committed to UCLA to play water polo, Rosary Coach Todd Sprague said.

Golda, a multi-sport standout who was a Times all-county selection in both water polo and softball last season, will play at UCLA for Coach Guy Baker, who also currently coaches the women’s national water polo team.